3 Waukesha Police Officers Awarded Citation of Valor

WAUKESHA -- Police officers deal with the worst that society has to offer on a daily basis, but some stories go untold - and are never revealed to show the depths of their challenges and the strengths of their heroism.

The Waukesha Police Department awarded the department's Citation of Valor to three officers, and in doing so, told the story of how officers performed to save the lives of fellow citizens - and themselves - after a suspect trained his AR-15 assault rifle upon them one night.

Here is their story, as delivered by Waukesha City Police Chief Russell Jack:

On January 24, 2016, the Waukesha Police Department Communications Center received a phone call from a female stating that her boyfriend was inside his residence and he was believed to be depressed, intoxicated, and in possession of an AR-15 rifle.

The suspect told his girlfriend he was depressed and was going to shoot himself in the head. Within minutes of the call, several officers arrived on scene and were developing a safe way to approach the target residence.

Unbeknownst to responding officers, the suspect had already exited his residence with his rifle and was waiting in the dark for the officers to respond. As officers arrived on scene and moved toward the residence, they observed what appeared to be a green laser from a rifle pointing in their direction, as well as a silhouette of a person. Officers believed the suspect was pointing the rifle at them and they immediately moved to cover.

While at a position of cover and under duress due to the deadly force threat and the darkness, officers were actively attempting to locate the suspect with a rifle. After about one minute, the officers observed that the suspect was standing in the roadway in front of the officer’s squads panning his rifle back and forth in a threatening manner taunting the officers to shoot him.

Moments later, officers repeatedly yelled for the suspect to drop his gun but he refused. Without warning, the suspect fled toward an alley with the rifle in hand. The officers believed the suspect was attempting to flank them in order to gain a position of advantage. They also feared for the safety of other officers on scene that were unaware of the deadly force threat closing the distance toward their perimeter position.

Multiple officers were forced to shoot him to stop the threat. The suspect was struck once by officer’s gunfire and fell to the ground in the alley. The suspect was safely taken into custody and officers immediately rendered medical attention to the suspect, including the use of a tourniquet. He later admitted that he pointed the rifle at officers so they would shoot and kill him as he intended to commit “suicide by cop.”

Whereas, Officer Garrett Luling observed the suspect armed with a rifle and aiming the weapon at him and other officers. Officer Luling gave several verbal commands for the suspect to drop the gun but he refused. Officer Luling was forced to deliver deadly force by firing his gun at the suspect in defense of himself, fellow officers, and citizens in the neighborhood.

Whereas, Officer Nicolas Sharon, upon recognizing the deadly threat of the suspect armed with a rifle, alerted fellow officers to move out of the line of fire. Officer Sharon was forced to deliver deadly force by firing his gun at the suspect in defense of himself, fellow officers, and citizens in the neighborhood.

Whereas, Officer Michael Underwood observed the suspect armed with a rifle and aiming the weapon at him and other officers. Officer Underwood gave several verbal commands for the suspect to drop the gun but the suspect refused. Officer Underwood communicated the suspect’s movements to his fellow officers alerting them to his location and direction of travel. Officer Underwood was forced to deliver deadly force by firing his gun at the suspect in defense of himself, fellow officers, and citizens in the neighborhood.

The actions of these three officers were truly commendable as each officer exemplified the Department’s priorities of Safety, Communication, Teamwork and Accountability. They acted decisively and with great courage and valor in the face of this deadly threat.

They are each being awarded the Waukesha Police Department Citation of Valor, the highest honor given to its members. Thank you for serving the community and your fellow officers with Integrity, Honor, and Courage.

Sincerely,
Russell P. Jack
Chief of Police