Officer I’D’ed in Deadly Ashland County Shooting
http://www.wsaw.com/content/news/Deadly-Officer-Involved-shooting-in-Ashland-County-456220023.html
ASHLAND COUNTY, Wis. (WSAW)-- The Ashland County Sheriff's Office says one of it's deputies was involved in a deadly officer-involved shooting Wednesday morning in Odanah, which is located on the Bad River Reservation.
According to a press release from the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, the Sheriff's Department got a call about a man walking around Maple Street carrying a knife just before noon. Ashland County Sheriff's Deputy Brock Mrdjenovich responded to the scene and encountered a 5'9", 300 pound male subject fitting the description given by the 911 caller.
The victim was later identified as 14-year-old Jason Ike Pero.
Pero approached Deputy Mrdjenovich with a large butcher knife, and refused to drop his weapons after being commanded to do so. On two occasion, Pero lunged at the deputy while Mrdjenovich was trying to retreat.
Mrdjenovich fired his service weapon at Pero, hitting him twice. Life-saving measures were initiated and he was taken to Memorial Medical Center in Ashland, where he died. The Deputy involved was not injured.
The DCI determined Pero was the same person who initially made the 911 call, giving his own physical description. Initial reports indicate Pero had been despondent over the few days leading up to the incident, and a search warrant executed on his bedroom gave evidence supporting this.
Deputy Mrdjenovich has been interviewed by DOJ and is on paid administrative leave in accordance with Ashland County Sheriff’s Office’s policy. He has worked for the Ashland County Sheriff’s Department for approximately one year.
The family members of Jason Pero have been offered victim witness services by the DOJ Office of Crime Victim Services.
The Wisconsin DOJ-led investigation of this incident has been a collaborative effort between DCI, the Wisconsin State Patrol, and the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory. The Ashland County Sheriff’s Office has been fully cooperating with DCI during this investigation.
No additional details are available at this time.
