MILWAUKEE — Police seized spent ammunition, a gun sling and journals from the home of the 18-year-old who opened fire on students at a prom at his former school in northern Wisconsin before being fatally shot by an officer, court records show.
According to a search warrant and supporting affidavit, Antigo police Patrolman Andy Hopfensperger shot Jakob Wagner multiple times to stop the attack. Wagner was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead early Sunday.
According to the documents filed Monday in Langlade County Circuit Court, officers seized several types of spent rounds along with the strap and various journal entries, notes and drawings. They also took electronics, including an iPod, a cellphone and video-game systems. Additionally, the records show the seizure of “Notecards Devil In Nature” and “Teen Suicide Reading Materials.”
Hopfensperger and another officer were checking cars in the school parking lot when Wagner opened fire and wounded two people as they left the dance, according to a statement from Antigo police Capt. Nate Musolff. Hopfensperger fired “as the shooter was actively engaging the kids with the rifle.”
One 18-year-old male student was struck in the leg and a bullet grazed his date’s thigh. Both are recovering.
Authorities haven’t previously identified the officer who shot Wagner, but they have said his actions “saved a lot of lives” by preventing him from ending up inside the dance. They also haven’t revealed a motive in the case, but people who knew Wagner have said he was bullied.
Wagner’s mother, Lorrie Wagner, told The Associated Press on Monday that her son “wasn’t a monster” and that she hopes the tragedy “shines light on bullying and how deeply it affects people.”
His family released a statement Tuesday that said his loved ones are “filled with sorrow over the injuries caused to his victims, the position in which the police officers were placed along with the prom goers and their families.”