Wood County District Attorney Finds No Wrong Doing in Officer Involved Shooting

Monday, June 12th, 2023 -- 12:01 PM

The Wood County District Attorney has made a decision regarding the death of a man in an officer involved shooting back in April.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, on April 21st, around 10:57pm, in the Town of Grand Rapids, 69-year-old William Voelker was walking near the intersection of 32nd Street S. and Airport Avenue.

When a Grand Rapids Police Officer, Erik Backland, made contact with Voelker, Voelker reached for a gun in his jacket and the officer shot him. Body cam video showed Officer Backland warning Voelker that he would shoot him if he pulled out his weapon.

Voelker said he wanted to be shot by the officer. Life saving measures were performed, but Voelker did at the scene. Wood County District Attorney Craig Lambert determined there will be no criminal charges for the officer.

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