Wood County deputy shot fellow deputy, suicidal man in Arpin incident, sheriff says

ARPIN - A Wood County sheriff's deputy who was shot by another deputy while at the scene of a suicidal man Tuesday night has been released from a hospital. 

The deputy is expected to make a full recovery, Wood County Sheriff Shawn Becker said in an email Thursday to USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. 

Deputies responded to a report of a 32-year-old suicidal man Tuesday night at a home in the village of Arpin. After about 20 minutes, while deputies were talking with an interventionist from Wood County Crisis Intervention, the man went inside the home and armed himself with a knife, Becker said. 

There was a struggle and one of the deputies fired his gun, Becker said. Bullets hit the 32-year-old man, another civilian and the other deputy. Deputies attempted life-saving measures until emergency medical services arrived, but the 32-year-old man died from his injuries.

RELATED: Deputy shoots and kills person reported as suicidal; a deputy also was shot, third person injured 

"The Wood County Sheriff's Department would like to offer our condolences to the family who lost a loved one, and wish the other injured person a full recovery," Becker said. 

The two deputies involved in the shooting are on paid administrate leave during the investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation, Becker said. The paid leave is standard protocol after a shooting. 

One of the deputies involved has worked for the department for six years and the other for 16 years, Becker said. Both had completed a 40-hour Crisis Intervention Team training course supported by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. During the training, officers get information on mental illnesses, de-escalation of situations, community resources and other topics related to mental health.

The sheriff's department partners with the Wood County Human Services Department Crisis Intervention Team to assess people who are struggling with suicidal or homicidal ideas and for those whose mental health is a concern, Becker said. 

Wood County residents frequently ask for deputies to check on someone they're concerned about, Becker said. During these so-called welfare checks, deputies may connect people to a variety of services, ranging from community-based safety plans to emergency hospitalization. Deputies also may refer people to adult protective services, family services, environmental health or other community programs.

Becker said he understands there still are many unanswered questions at this time. DCI is actively investigating the shooting, and the Wood County Sheriff's Department intends to answer all questions after the investigation is complete, he said.