A former judge was fatally shot in his Wisconsin home on Friday, and authorities say the suspected killer had a hit list that included other government officials.
Former Juneau County Circuit Court Judge John Roemer, 68, was shot and killed in the targeted attack. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the judge retired in 2017. The Wisconsin Justice Department said the killing stems from a case or cases.
Law enforcement responded to the New Lisbon home after someone called 911 and reported shots fired. The caller had escaped from the home and called from a nearby house.
The Juneau County Special Tactics and Response Team responded to the scene and attempted to negotiate with the suspect, a 56-year-old man. Inside, they found Roemer zip-tied to a chair, dead from a gunshot wound. The alleged shooter was located with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The suspect, identified as Douglas Uhde, was transported to an area hospital. He was listed in a critical condition.
Investigators recovered a firearm at the scene.
Uhde had a list of government officials as targets, CNN reports. The list included Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
“This, as I mentioned before, does appear to be a targeted act, and the individual who is a suspect appears to have had other targets as well,” Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said Friday. “It appears to be related to the judicial system.”
Kaul said that the other people listed as targets had been notified. He said there is no ongoing threat to the public. The shooting is still under investigation.
