DELAFIELD, WI – Two police officers have been shot in Wisconsin, and the shooter was taken into custody following a tense, hours-long manhunt. Authorities say the officers were called to a hit and run when the shooting occurred.
The suspect, Nathanael Benton was taken into custody late Friday morning. Benton was captured after a call came in that a person matching Benton’s description was in a vacant land area in the southeast corner of Delafield, according to the chief of police.
The public was asked to avoid the area of the shooting following the incident. The Delafield police department issued a statement:
“There is an active police investigation in the area of I94 and Sth 83. Please avoid the area as all traffic will be diverted.”
One officer from Hartland Police Department and one officer from Delafield Police Department were shot, according to Delafield Police Chief Erik Kehl during a morning press conference. Both officers have been transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The alleged gunman was identified as 23-year -old Nathanael Benton. He is described as a white male, approximately six feet tall, 215 pounds, with blue eyes and brown hair.
He was last seen wearing a flat brim hat, sweatshirt, and possibly khakis, according to a press release issued by the office of Sheriff Eric Severson.
The suspect was considered armed and dangerous prior to his arrest.
The shooting occurred Friday morning at approximately 1:40 a.m. as officers investigated a hit-and-run crash the officers had heard in the area of Highway 83 and I-94, according to Chief Kehl.
The suspect confronted the officers near a Holiday Inn hotel in the area. Gunshots were exchanged between the suspect and officers. Both officers were struck by bullets. It was not reported if Benton was struck.
Two other people who were traveling with the suspect have been taken into custody. However, Chief Kehl said that they were not involved in the shooting. Both suspects were cooperative while being taken into custody.
The chief warned the public, prior to the arrest, that they should not travel in the area of the shooting, and that nearby residents should take precautions:
“Stay inside today. Don’t let strangers in your house. If you see something suspicious, call.”
The chief said that he did not have any information about why Benton, from North Dakota, was in Delafield and did not believe he had any local contacts. The chief explained:
“(The reason) could be a simple as they were going somewhere else, and they decided they needed to stop for the night and they saw a holiday in.
“With the interstate running right through the city, it could be anything.
“We’ll ask him once we get our hands on him.”
Shortly after 4 a.m., an emergency alert message alerted citizens to avoid the area of Highway 83 and Golf Road, and for residents in the area to shelter in the lowest level of their home or business until further notice.
Local media is reporting a massive law enforcement presence in the area.
Several nearby schools have been closed because of the on-going investigation. The Pewaukee School District issued a statement:
“Out of an abundance of caution due to the unresolved, non-school related incident in our area, Pewaukee Schools will be closed today (virtual and in-person), Friday-November 6th.”
Benton is also wanted for attempted murder charges for a Halloween night shooting in Fargo, North Dakota. According to Fargo police, a man called 911 at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning reporting he had been shot in the head. The man was transported to a local hospital. His condition was not released.
Fargo police had warned that they had reason to believe Benton was armed and posed a threat to the public.
Delafield police are being assisted by the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, and various county and local law enforcement agencies.
The city of Delafield is located in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. The population is about 7,000 people.
The governor of Wisconsin just proved to America that the truth no longer matters when it comes to law enforcement.
August 27, 2020 – MADISON, WI – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) called in the National Guard on Aug. 24 to handle the Kenosha rioting, felony vandalism, burglaries, arsons, overt violence, and brazen, anarchistic criminals and their repulsive behavior.
Why are they there? Well, partly because of the governor himself.
Within hours after a Kenosha police officer shot a black man in the back, and without having more than a speck of information concerning the facts of the case, Evers released a statement:
“Tonight, Jacob Blake was shot in the back multiple times, in broad daylight, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Kathy and I join his family, friends, and neighbors in hoping earnestly that he will not succumb to his injuries.
While we do not have all of the details yet, what we know for certain is that he is not the first Black man or person to have been shot or injured or mercilessly killed at the hands of individuals in law enforcement in our state or our country.”
Even though Evers admitted in the second sentence that he had no details of what exactly happened and why, his statement continued. But no matter. Those are simply pesky facts and truth.
Evers further said:
“We stand with all those who have and continue to demand justice, equity, and accountability for Black lives in our country — lives like those of George Floyd, of Breonna Taylor, Tony Robinson, Dontre Hamilton, Ernest Lacy, and Sylville Smith.
And we stand against excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging with Black Wisconsinites.”
To clarify. The governor of the state – with no truth from which to speak – declared that the officer’s actions were born of malevolent racism. That the officer immediately escalated the situation because the man was black. Amazing.
Evers then said:
“I have said all along that although we must offer our empathy, equally important is our action. In the coming days, we will demand just that of elected officials in our state who have failed to recognize the racism in our state and our country for far too long.”
In other words, sorry, officer, but truth, your and your family’s lives, your career and your future all take a back seat to my political views, agenda and thirst for power.
The momentum over the past months has been on our side. Violence and anarchy are to our advantage. Disparaging law enforcement and destroying the fabric of our values and democracy is a winning strategy. We gotta keep that going.
So in Wisconsin, insanity ensued. Insanity that was quickly out of control. Honest, innocent citizens were at risk and screaming for help within hours. Police in the city of Kenosha, population approximately 100,000, were overwhelmed. Buildings were being destroyed; a car dealership went up in flames.
One officer was hit in the back of the head with a brick. He fell to the ground to the applause of the rioters and criminals.
The Democratic governor was forced to order in over 125 members of the National Guard to respond to the city bordering northern Illinois. Their orders were to guard “the infrastructure and mak[e] sure our firefighters and others involved are protected.”
He couldn’t even bring himself to say he wanted to protect police officers.
Truth? Does anyone care?
Well certainly, the Democratic nominee for president of the entire United States cares about truth. Mr. Joe Biden would surely measure his words before speaking, especially since he has even less factual information about the Kenosha shooting than does the out-of-touch governor. Certainly truth and justice matter to him.
Nope. Biden said:
“This morning, the nation wakes up yet again with grief and outrage that yet another Black American is a victim of excessive force. Those shots pierce the soul of our nation.”
Yet again? Yet another black man? “Excessive force”? Based on what evidence? What facts? What truth?
Fuel on the fire.
Why say those things without any facts?
Truth loses out to advantage. Political advantage. Restructuring-America advantage. Establishment-of-power advantage.
Pete Deates, the president of the Kenosha police union, released a statement. A measured, honest, presidential statement. He said:
“Anytime deadly force is used, our hearts go out to those affected by it. We assure you an independent investigation is being conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation. Until that investigation is completed, we ask that you withhold prejudgment about the incident and please let the process take place.”
Deates then addressed the governor’s statement:
“Governor Evers’ statement on the incident was wholly irresponsible and not reflective of the hardworking members of the law enforcement community, not to mention the citizens of the City of Kenosha.”
Addressing truth, Deates said:
“As always, the video currently circulating does not capture all the intricacies of a highly dynamic incident. We ask that you withhold from passing judgment until all the facts are known and released.”
Deates concluded with a measured and sincere sentence. One designed to show unity, concern and compassion for those who live in the city he and the other officers are proud to serve. He said:
“We, along with the citizens of the great City of Kenosha, ask for peace and to let the process play out fairly and impartially.”
Deates spoke the truth. A nonpartisan truth. A real truth, which is the only kind.
As of this moment, we don’t know exactly what happened, or why, in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
We do know that at the time the man was shot by police, he was already facing charges of sexual assault, trespassing, and disorderly conduct in connection with domestic abuse against a woman. Kenosha County prosecutors filed those charges a month before the officer-involved shooting.
We also know that at the time of the shooting, the man was fleeing the police and apparently refusing to obey their orders. He did have an object in his hand as he fled. He also went headfirst into his vehicle.
But those truths are so inconvenient, and they deflect from the political point being made by those looking for an advantage.
Today, truths are passé. Unnecessary, unless of course you are accusing others of not adhering to them.
2020 sucks. All know this. Pandemic, lockdowns, masks, hysteria, economic collapse, depression, suicides.
But the worst part of 2020? Well, that may be the loss of truth.
Without truth, what’s left?
Frightening to consider.
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