Suspect critical after officer involved shooting in Jackson County

An officer is on administrative assignment after shooting a person early Monday morning near Hixton.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is in charge of the investigation that happened on Sand Prairie Road North in the Town of Hixton.

In a statement from the DCI, the incident began when Jackson County deputies tried to stop a vehicle following a call to the sheriff’s office.

Instead, the vehicle sped off. The pursuit ended when the suspect’s vehicle stopped just off the road.

The statement doesn’t provide details but said that during the encounter with the driver, one of the officers fired his weapon striking the driver.

After giving first aid to the suspect, the suspect was airlifted to a nearby hospital. The DCI said the person is in critical condition.

None of the law enforcement members at the scene were hurt during the incident.

As of early Monday afternoon, the DCI hasn’t released the names of the officers involved nor the suspect.

DCI’s statement said that the officer was wearing a body camera at the time.

According to department policy, the officer was placed on administrative assignment.

The DCI statement said that the Wisconsin State Patrol is assisting with the investigation.

Everyone involved in the incident is cooperating fully with the DCI investigation the statement said.

Once their work is completed, DCI investigators plan to turn over a report and evidence from the shooting to the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office for review.