Shooting Incident Wednesday in Wausau

Thursday, April 11th, 2024 -- 12:00 PM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) A shooting incident on Wednesday morning has left one person injured and a suspect at large.

According to Mike Leischner with WSAU, officers were called to a home in the 200 block of North 7th Street at about 2:30 AM. According to the reporting party, their friend had been shot in the leg by another man during an argument. The victim is being treated at a local hospital.

The suspect was identified as 36-year-old Zach Teske, who fled the scene before officers arrived. A stolen vehicle was reported near the scene, and evidence showed Teske may have taken it. Officers issued a be on the lookout for Teske and the vehicle.

He was captured a few hours later in Oneida County. Investigations Captain Ben Graham with the Wausau PD said his staff worked with officials in Oneida County to track Teske into their jurisdiction.

That included the use of FLOCK cameras, which capture photos of license plate numbers. “Thanks to a FLOCK station camera we were able to identify the vicinity of where that [stolen] vehicle was located and work with law enforcement agencies to get him into custody.”

The system takes photos of a vehicle’s license plate as it passes the camera, but does not take video. Graham says in this case it was an important tool. “In this case, we have multiple victims- the victim of a stolen vehicle and a victim of the shooting. We were able to solve this thanks to things like FLOCK safety and our partnership with the community and other law enforcement agencies.”

Teske will be transported to Wausau later today. Police are recommending charges of reckless injury, taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent, and felony bail jumping against him. Court action is pending, and Graham notes that he was known to law enforcement prior to Wednesday’s incident.

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