No criminal liability for MPD officers involved in critical incident inside convenience store

MADISON, Wis. — The Madison Police Department officers involved in a February shooting incident inside a Kwik Trip gas station have been cleared of criminal liability.

District Attorney Ismael Ozanne announced the decision Wednesday afternoon after a thorough review of reports, surveillance video and other documents related to this case. A summary of his findings is attached to this release.

"Our officers responded to a very challenging and dynamic situation that day," said Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes. "With the criminal review complete, our department will now begin an internal review for compliance with department policy and procedure."

On Feb. 24, MPD officers were near the Kwik Trip store located along the 3500 block of E. Washington Ave. when they spotted a person of interest in a recent homicide case. Officers attempted to confront the man -- Justin D. Kopmeyer -- outside of the store, but he pulled out a gun and ran inside the store.

An officer deployed a Taser, but it was not effective. Another officer fired a single shot in the direction of Kopmeyer.

Kopmeyer entered a nearby bathroom and two gunshots were heard coming from the bathroom. He was found dead inside.

The officers involved in the confrontation were placed on administrative leave, per MPD policy. The Wisconsin Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation took over the investigation into the shooting because an officer was involved. The DOJ will release its documents on the case later Wednesday.

Additional details about the incident can be found in the District Attorney's attached release under the Attachments section.

You can read the Madison Police Department's incident report here.
 

Links

• press_release_-_kwik_trip_critical_incident.pdf
• Initial MPD Incident Report
• DOJ investigates officer-involved critical incident

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