Former Juneau County Circuit Court Judge John Roemer, 68, was murdered in a New Lisbon, Wisconsin home, the Wisconsin Department of Justice said in a statement. The murder comes from a court case or cases, the department said, but gave no further details.
The suspect was identified as Douglas K. Uhde. Authorities tried to negotiate with the suspect while he was at home, the state DOJ said. Juneau County Special Tactics and Response Teams entered the house shortly before 10:20 a.m. and found the suspect in the basement of the house with an “apparent self-inflicted bullet wound,” the department said. of state justice. Uhde, 56, was taken to a medical center and remains in critical condition, the department said Saturday.
A firearm was recovered at the scene, the DOJ said.
CNN reviewed Wisconsin Circuit Court’s online records showing that Uhde had a criminal record in the state dating back at least to 2002, when he was convicted of armed robbery and firearms charges. It seems that the case has been going on for several years and at one point, in 2005, it reached Roemer.
Uhde was charged in 2006 and 2007, including fleeing police and a misdemeanor for obstructing an officer, which resulted in convictions, online records show. He also filed a civil lawsuit in federal court against several law enforcement defendants alleging that they were illegal in their search for a 2001 arrest, according to online court records. CNN was unable to determine the outcome of the lawsuit.
Uhde has not been charged with the murder of the judge. CNN was unable to determine if he had a lawyer.
“Judge Roemer has spent much of his career in the public service of the law,” Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Annette Kingsland Ziegler said in a statement. “Prior to joining the bank in 2004, he served as Deputy District Attorney and Deputy State Public Defender. He was known to his peers for his keen legal mind and willingness to share his time and knowledge with others “.
The suspect had other goals in mind
The suspect had other targets in mind, such as Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the source told CNN. Another source corroborated the names of officials on CNN.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office said Saturday that her name also appeared on the gunman’s list of targets.
“Yesterday our office was notified by law enforcement that Governor Whitmer’s name was on the Wisconsin gunman’s list. While the news is deeply troubling, we will not comment further on an ongoing criminal investigation.” said the Whitmer office.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first reported that the judge was the victim and Evers had also been a target.
“This, as I mentioned earlier, seems to be a targeted act and the individual who is a suspect seems to have had other goals as well. It seems to be related to the judicial system,” Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said Friday. , in a news story. conference, without naming the victim.
Kaul added that investigators are unaware of any evidence that indicates danger to others, noting that the investigation is ongoing.
“Those who may have been other targets have been notified of this, but we are not aware of any active threat to people,” he said. “If we become aware of a specific ongoing threat, we will certainly alert people when we become aware of it.”
CNN has contacted Governor Evers’ office, McConnell’s office, U.S. Capitol Police, Juneau County Sheriff’s Office and the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
CNN’s Omar Jimenez contributed to this report.