ETTRICK, Wis. – A shooting death on the major highway between Galesville and Blair has been declared a homicide by Trempealeau County Sheriff Brett Semingson. The sheriff said he has called in state criminal investigators. Semingson has been sparse with details. Even five days after the crime the sheriff hasn’t released the victim’s name, even though standard police practice is to withhold names from the public only until kin are notified or 24 hours at most. Not surprisingly, Semingson’s information vacuum has fueled street talk in Ettrick, population 520, about the case. Among the consensus:
> The victim was a man in his 30s from Ettrick. Married and father of 6- year-old. Everyone knows his name, but with outsiders, perhaps in deference to the sheriff, they stop short of sharing his name.
> The victim was shot twice in the head in his car while driving in a 55 mph section of U.S. Highway 53. The car then wrecked.
> There is little consensus among townspeople about a motive. Speculation incudes road rage and a grudge amid a range of unseemly and unflattering conjecture.
> The victim was driving home from the Twin Cities, a 2-1/2 trip trip via Winona
> The shooting was in the Frenchville area south of Ettrick a few miles toward Galesville, near either the the crossroads with Truax Road, which connects with other backroads; or with County Road TT, which leads to a shortcut into north Galesville; or perhaps in between.
> The investigation has extended into Jackson County to the north, which includes Taylor, population 500, 17 miles away; Hixton, population 600, 24 miles away; and Black River Falls, population 3,500, 26 miles away.
Semingson. Trempealeau County sheriff from Osseo. Re-elected in 2022. Based in Whitehall county seat. His usual practice, even in more routine cases, is to hold back on releasing names and details to public.