Whitehall Man Sentenced to Prison for Fatally Shooting an Ettrick Man in Road Rage Incident

Tuesday, August 18th, 2026 -- 2:00 PM

(WEAU Staff & Dashal Mentzel, WEAU) A Whitehall man will serve time in prison after fatally shooting an Ettrick man in a road rage incident from two years ago.

According to Dashal Mentzel and WEAU staff, on Wednesday in Trempealeau County Court, 64-year-old Todd Gieck was sentenced to 40 years of confinement with 24 years of extended supervision for the death of 36-year-old Kyle Dahl of Ettrick, Wisconsin.

Back in April, Gieck was found guilty on all three counts of first-degree reckless homicide by use of a dangerous weapon, discharging a firearm at a vehicle and possession of a firearm by a felon.

The charges stem from a May 15, 2024, incident. The Trempealeau County Sheriff’s Office said they responded to a report of a car in the ditch of Highway 53, near county Road TT in the Town of Gale.

The victim was flown to the hospital for emergency care where he died. The case began as a car crash investigation, but an autopsy later revealed the driver died from a gunshot wound.

Authorities later identified the victim as Kyle Dahl. Surveillance footage from a business and a home showed a red sedan following Dahl’s vehicle, and a witness identified Gieck as the driver who fired at Dahl’s car.

Gieck apologized to Dahl’s family during the sentencing. Gieck claimed he chased Dahl down Highway 53 and fired his weapon only because he got scared. But in handing down a 40-year prison sentence, the judge rejected the “accident” defense, noting the sheer danger of Gieck’s decisions.

Gieck was convicted in April of first-degree reckless homicide and will serve 24 years of extended supervision after his release. Gieck will be 103 years old when he is released.

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