Deputy will not be charged in shooting death

KEWAUNEE - The Kewaunee County Sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed a Luxemburg man while responding to an incident will not be charged.

Tyler Whitmire, 22, was shot by Kewaunee County Sheriff’s deputy Jamie A. Tlachac on Aug. 21. Tlachac, Sheriff’s Sgt. Dustin E. Smidle and deputy Jordan D. Salentine have been on paid leave since the shooting. A fourth responder to the incident, Kewaunee Police officer Brian D. Gale, also was placed on leave but has since returned to work.

The announcement that Tlachac would not be charged was made during a news conference Tuesday at the Kewaunee County Administration Center in Kewaunee. The Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation and released the materials to the Kewaunee County District Attorney’s office Sept. 29.

Information released by state investigators in August revealed officers were called at 7:55 p.m. to a disturbance in an area about two miles south of State 29, on County AB. When officers arrived, they found Whitmire, a former U.S. Marine, threatening a woman and nearby residents with a knife.

According to District Attorney Andrew Naze, Whitmire and a female acquaintance were walking and smoking marijuana prior to the incident when Whitmire began to feel ill. The two got into the woman’s car and started driving. The situation escalated and Whitmire struck the woman with a hammer and broke several car windows. People in homes near the scene tried to intervene.

Whitmire at one point entered a home and picked up a 5-inch knife, Naze said. He was still holding the knife when he was shot.

A dashboard video shows what happened when the four officers arrived. According to Naze, they tried to speak to Whitmire as he walked down a driveway.

The video shows him suddenly running at Salentine. As Whitmire is about to reach the deputy, Tlachac fires his gun. Whitmire falls at Salentine’s feet.

Whitmire was struck three times, Naze said.

“In reviewing deputy Tlachac’s actions, he witnessed Mr. Whitmire running toward Deputy Salentine,” Naze said. “Mr. Whitmire has a knife raised as he is running. Mr. Whitmire is closing the gap and fast.”

Naze said his decision was based on his belief that Salentine would have suffered great bodily harm or death if Tlachac had not fired.

Kewaunee County Sheriff Matt Joski, who also attended the news conference, said a timeline for when the three officers will return to work has not been established.

This article originally appeared on Wisconsin: Deputy will not be charged in shooting death