Wisconsin Prosecutors Clear Officer in High School Shooting
The officer used his firearm during an altercation with a student because he couldn’t reach his stun gun.
Oshkosh, Wisconsin – Oshkosh West High School liaison officer Michael Wissink has been cleared by Winnebago County prosecutors of any criminal wrongdoing stemming from an incident where he shot a 16-year-old student.
The announcement about Wissink’s justified use of deadly force was made on Monday by Winnebago County Assistant District Attorney Anthony S. Prekop, reports Channel3000.
The prosecutor’s investigation was prompted by an incident in December involving Wissink and Grant Fuhrman, a student. Allegedly, Fuhrman stabbed Wissink multiple times with a barbecue fork in Wissink’s office.
During the altercation, Wissink responded by shooting his firearm because he couldn’t reach his stun gun, according to court documents.
Both the officer and the student were hospitalized, but neither were seriously injured.
Although there are no laws in Wisconsin requiring schools to have armed officers, the state Department of Justice has adopted practices recommended by the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO). The state guidelines also recommend officers receive training in child development, restraint policies and de-escalation strategies, according to AP News.
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About the Author
Robin Hattersley, Editor-in-Chief
Robin has been covering the security and campus law enforcement industries since 1998 and is a specialist in school, university and hospital security, public safety and emergency management, as well as emerging technologies and systems integration. She joined CS in 2005 and has authored award-winning editorial on campus law enforcement and security funding, officer recruitment and retention, access control, IP video, network integration, event management, crime trends, the Clery Act, Title IX compliance, sexual assault, dating abuse, emergency communications, incident management software and more. Robin has been featured on national and local media outlets and was formerly associate editor for the trade publication Security Sales & Integration. She obtained her undergraduate degree in history from California State University, Long Beach.
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