Deputy Sheriff Kaitie Leising
Officer: St. Croix County Sheriff's Office, Deputy Sheriff Kaitie Leising
Date: 5/6/2023 Location: Glenwood, Wisconsin FACTORS (1,2,3,4,5,8,9,13,15,19)
Perpetrator(s) Involved: Jeremiah Johnson
Criminal Activity History/Involved: Yes, Johnson had an assault 2nd conviction in 2007, petty and gross misdemeanors, a DWI and “was on supervised release” from two felony convictions for a 2015 kidnapping and criminal sexual contact. / Yes, Johnson was suspected of driving while intoxicated and illegally possessed a firearm.
Mental Illness: Yes, the subject committed suicide before he could be arrested.
Substance Abuse History/Involved: Yes, Johnson had a prior DWI arrest. / Yes, Johnson drove his car into a ditch and was suspected to be driving while intoxicated
Race/Sex/Age: White/Male/34
What prompted the initial contact with the killer? At around 6:15 p.m. on May 6, 2023, St. Croix Deputy Sheriff Kaitie Leising responded to a 911 call of a “potential drunk driver in a ditch.” Upon arriving at the scene, Deputy Leising found Jeremiah Johnson to be the suspected drunk driver and asked him to take the field sobriety tests.
Actions taken by subject toward police: Johnson refused to comply, “was evasive to Deputy Leising’s requests and after approximately 8 minutes of dialogue” he turned toward her, took out a handgun and shot her.
Reactions by the police: Before succumbing to the fatal gunshots, Deputy Leising returned fire three times at Johnson as he ran away in the wooded area. The shots missed Johnson but an hour later officers searching for him observed Johnson take his own life with his gun.
How murdered? Deputy Leising was fatally shot while handling a 911 call of a suspected drunk driver.
What could have been done differently for the officer to still be alive? Given the amount of time and movements associated with sobriety field tests, many officers will search the suspect beforehand to ensure they are not armed.
Would the officer have been justified in using deadly force before being murdered? Johnson’s non-compliance raised the threat level for Deputy Leising and she was justified to use deadly force when he made a furtive movement to his waist band for the hidden gun.
Outcome for the cop-killer: Johnson killed himself before the officers were able to find him and take him into custody.
Miscellaneous: Since Johnson only received a 6 years and 5 months’ prison sentence for kidnapping and third-degree criminal sexual conduct convictions in November 2015, he was out on supervised release since 2019. The criminal justice system failed again.
