Investigators were still on the scene of the incident Sunday afternoon.
UPDATED 3:12 p.m.
The man shot by a Kenosha County Sheriff’s deputy Saturday evening has been identified as Darren Myron Fude, 47, of Paddock Lake.
Fude was shot by one deputy after Fude confronted deputies with a shotgun at Fude’s home on 236th Avenue in Paddock Lake, Sheriff David Beth said at a press conference Sunday morning.
Fude died from his injuries at St. Catherine’s Hospital in Pleasant Prairie.
The deputy is on administrative leave. He is not being identified pending an interview with the state Department of Criminal investigation, Beth said.
Deputies were at the Fude home investigating a traffic accident when Fude confronted the three deputies with the shotgun, Beth said.
The deputies attempted to take cover in the yard, but Fude did not comply with deputies orders to put down the gun, Beth said.
The situation started with a motorcycle crash earlier in the day, Beth explained. Three deputies were at the Fude home at about 6:25 p.m. investigating that crash, in which the motorcycle was run into a ditch with the cyclist later being picked up by someone driving a car. The scene of the crash was on 31st Street (Highway JB) west of Highway 75 in Brighton.
While deputies talked to Fude’s wife at the Fude home, deputies saw Darren Fude approaching them with a shotgun, Beth said.
“The deputies tried their best to take cover in the front yard and they ordered the suspect to put down the shotgun several times,” Beth said. “At one point Mr. Fude pointed the gun in the direction of two deputies standing near an evergreen tree. At that time, one of the deputies fired multiple rounds at Mr. Fude and he fell to the ground.”
Deputies then administered first aid until Town of Salem Fire/Rescue personnel arrived.
Beth estimated the deputies by the evergreen were about 30 feet from Fude.
Investigation of the incident has been turned over to the DCI, as is department policy, Beth said.
“All further investigation into this will be done by DCI,” Beth said.
The last two Sheriff’s Department officer involved shootings were in 2007 and 1972, Beth said.
The deputy who fired his gun has been with the Sheriff’s Department for 4.5 years and also had previous experience in Illinois, Beth said.
Fude did have some contact with the Sheriff’s Department, but “nothing major” as far as a record, Beth said.
Beth said all three deputies seemed to be OK when he spoke to them, but they will be watched closely for a while. When he shot at a bank robbery suspect in the late 1990s, Beth said it did not impact him for a few days.
“We’re going to check on them regularly for the next couple of months,” Beth said.
Fude was married and had three children, two still at home and of school age, Beth said.
Beth said he did not know Fude personally, though his wife seemed familiar to him.
“When you grow up West of the I, you seem to know a lot of people,” Beth said.
Beth addressed the possibility that this was a case of officer assisted suicide.
“I wonder if there was more to this situation.” Beth said. “This was purely over a traffic citation. So why would you go to this level? It seems strange to me but I have no evidence that it is or isn’t” suicide by cop.
While acknowledging that others will conduct the investigation, Beth defended his deputy’s actions based on what he knows about what happened.
“When a person comes to the door and points a shotgun at you, you have justification to protect yourself and other people there,” Beth said.
Here is video from the press conference:
