Dozens gather for vigil for Racine Police Officer John Hetland

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RACINE (CBS 58) -- Dozens gathered for a vigil Sunday outside Teezers, where Racine Police Officer John Hetland was shot and killed while off-duty last Monday. 

The vigil was organized by the Racine Interfaith Coalition. It was an emotional vigil filled with prayers and songs. 

"I’m not surprised with what he did cause that’s who he was," said Pat Sielaff, a neighbor and friend of Officer Hetland. 

"Honest, jokester, he loved his kids, he loved his community and he’d do anything for anyone," she said. 

"My dad was a Racine Police Department cop for over 30 something years and he worked with John, so he was a really good friend of the family," said Adrienne Gibson-Stulo. 

Gibson-Stulo said she also bartended at Teezers last summer. 

"It hit home, like it could have been me it’s just a senseless act," she said. 

A senseless act, Kelly Kurdna said he witnessed. 

"All of a sudden, saw a guy walk in the back door with a mask and a gun, he walked up to the bartender," said Kurdna, "All of a sudden, John jumped on the bar, walked, crawled on the bar, lunged at him, said something’s going on here. I said to all my friends, 'Get on the floor, get on the floor,' a bunch of us crawled in the men’s bathroom, and all I heard was gunshot."

Also on Sunday, the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department released additional photos of the suspect, taken from slightly different video stills. 

The sheriff's department is also asking anyone who lives within a half mile radius of Teezers Bar and has a security camera or doorbell camera to check their saved footage for suspicious activity. 

There is a reward of more than $75,000 for information leading to the suspect's arrest. 


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