Scene at dawn. At backroad intersection a mile or so southeast of Hixton along Interstate 94. About 12 miles west of the Jackson County seat in Black River Falls.
Critically wounded driver airlifted to hospital
HIXTON, Wis. – A deputy sheriff shot and critically wounded a driver after the man’s car crashed, ending a police chase outside this Jackson County village. The victim was flown to a hospital. The incident was shortly before 1 a.m. just southeast of Hixton. Few details were available from official channels. The typically taciturn Jackson County sheriff, Duane Waldera, confirmed only that there had been an officer-involved shooting. Waldera declined news reporter questions about details, including even the name of the victim and the hospital to which he had been flown. Waldera also declined to name his deputy who fired the shot or explain why there had been a police chase. The crash was at the 90-degree corner where Sand Prairie and Charcoal roads intersect. Police chatter monitored on emergency channels indicated that the car had run off a shoulder and become stuck, that the deputy fired as the driver emerged the vehicle, and that other police units converged quickly at the scene. Among unknowns: Was the driver armed? The victim was given emergency medical aid by officers and first-responders from Black River Falls, 12 miles away, until an air ambulance arrived.
Waldera. Sheriff first elected 2007.
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