Racine Police Dept.(RACINE, Wis.) — An off-duty Wisconsin police officer was fatally shot while trying to stop an armed robbery at a bar Monday night, according to the police chief.
Officer John Hetland, a 24-year veteran of the Racine Police Department, had worked the day-shift on Monday, Chief Arthel Howell said.
At 9:40 p.m., the veteran officer was off-duty when he saw an armed robbery unfolding at Teezers Tavern in Racine, about 25 miles south of Milwaukee.
“Hetland took immediate action,” Howell said, and “during his effort to intervene,” he was shot.
No arrests have been made, Howell said.
The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department on Tuesday released an image of the suspect caught on surveillance video.
“Officer Hetland was a trusted and highly respected member of the department, serving in various positions over the years, including an assignment as a field training officer, as well as a member of the Greater Racine FBI Gang Task Force,” the chief said in a statement on Tuesday.
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