Deputy Kaitie Leising, 29, responded to the scene of the car crash in Glenwood, Wisconsin, at about 6:15 p.m. on Saturday

Leising encountered the driver, Jeremiah D. Johnson, 34

After the assist, when Dep Leising asked Johnson to perform field sobriety tests before returning to his vehicle, he became evasive

Eight minutes into the exchange, Johnson turned toward Leising, drew a handgun and shot her, police reported

Shooting captured on bodycam showed Leising returning fire with three shots, but not hitting Johnson before he fled to a wooded area

Responding officer searching woods ‘encountered Johnson an hour later, heard a shot, and watched him fall to the ground,’ police said

Johnson who had a long criminal record was on supervised release following a years-long prison stint after his 2015 conviction for felony kidnapping and criminal sexual conduct

St. Croix County Deputy Kaitie Leising was shot and killed in the line of duty on Saturday

A St. Croix County, Wisconsin deputy on Saturday night to a call of ang to a possible drunk driver who drove into a ditch, only to be shot dead by that same driver after he’d been rescued.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Deputy Kaitie Leising, 29, responded to the scene of the car crash in Glenwood, Wisconsin, about 60 miles east of Minneapolis.at about 6:15 p.m. on Saturday and encountered the driver, 34-year-old ex-con Jeremiah D. Johnson.
Another vehicle had stopped to assist Johnson prior to Leising’s arrival.
Deputy Leising requested Johnson perform field sobriety tests before returning to his vehicle, but the motorist became evasive to her requests.
After about eight minutes into the interaction, Johnson allegedly, turned toward Leising, drew a handgun and shot the cop, Wisconsin DOJ said in the release.

According to the police report, a responding officer located DUI and murder suspect Jeremiah D. Johnson [photo], in the woods ,an hour after she fatally shot Dep. Leising – heard a shot – and Johnson fell down dead

The shooting was reportedly captured on body camera, the release noted, which showed Leising returning fire with three shots, never once hitting Johnson before he fled to a wooded area.
The people in the vehicle that stopped to assist Johnson began lifesaving measures on Leising, who was taken to a nearby hospital where she later died.
Officers who responded to the scene searched the woods near the scene, and nearly an hour after Leising was shot, an officer located Johnson, heard a shot, and watched him fall to the ground.
Officers recovered a handgun where Johnson was found dead.
The DOJ said law enforcement officials did not discharge their weapons during the search for Johnson.
The Wisconsin DOJ’s Division of Criminal Justice is leading the investigation with the assistance of neighboring law enforcement agencies, Wisconsin State Patrol and the Wisconsin State Crime Lab.
On Sunday, St. Croix County Sheriff Scott Knudson announced that the 29-year-old deputy was killed.
The sheriff said Leising served with the St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office since 2022, and prior to joining, she served with the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office in South Dakota for about two years.
“Our love and condolences go out to the family of Kaitie Leising and all those with whom she served,” Sheriff Knudson said. “We, as a law enforcement family, will do everything possible to continue to provide support and comfort to her family. We will miss her infectious smile and personality. She will be missed by all she touched.”
Records show the DUI suspect Jeremiah Johnson had a long criminal record in the state of Minnesota. He was on supervised release following a years-long prison stint after pleading guilty in 2015 to two felonies: kidnapping and criminal sexual conduct.