Man shot and killed by officer after neighbor dispute in Mequon

MEQUON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A Mequon man is dead after a fight with a neighbor Wednesday afternoon led to a standoff with police, then a shootout.

The man's identity has not yet been released.

The situation first developed Wednesday afternoon when a caller told 911 he was mowing his lawn when his neighbor shot at him.

Law enforcement vehicles continued to block off several roads around Bonniwell and Riverland several hours after the situation began.

Late Wednesday evening, the Mequon Police Department shared limited information at a very brief news conference. They said the person that died first shot at officers before they shot at him.

We combed through hours of emergency dispatch audio to better piece together what happened.

At around 3:30 Wednesday afternoon the neighbor called 911 to report his neighbor had shot at him while he was outside mowing.

Mequon police officers responded and saw the man in the back of the home in a sunroom. They described him as an elderly man with white hair. A responding officer said the man kept going in and out of the house.

Mequon police called in the Ozaukee County Special Response Team to make contact with him, but he shot at the officers before that team could arrive.

Sgt. Lindsay Graycarek of the Mequon Police Department said, "Prior to the Special Response Team's arrival, a male subject exited a residence and began firing rounds at officers. The subject was shot by police and has died."

Police officers on the scene communicated with emergency dispatch on the radio.

One officer said, "He's at the rear of the residence. Looks like he has a gun in his hand. He's coming out."

Then he radioed, "Several shots at police!"

He said, "He's walking back into the house."

Then the officer asked, "If he comes back to the front of the room and I have a shot, am I able to take it?" No one answered on the radio.

Then another shot was heard. Dispatch asked the officer, "Does he know police is there?"

The officer replied, "We called out 'police'. Subject is down, one shot. We'll be moving up shortly once we get another officer here."

Dispatch then asked, "Did he shoot himself or was that an officer?"

The officer said, "That was me. One shot, he fell down. He's out of line of sight now. We are ok, myself and [redacted] are together behind the trees. He took three shots at us. All three hit the tree."

No officers were injured.

Neighbors describe the elderly man as someone who was hard to get along with.

Patrick Collins said his parents had a different friendship with him.

"He was a good guy," said Collins.

Collins said the man was from Italy and had lived in the neighborhood for a number of years.

What's still in question is why the elderly man shot at his neighbor and police.

The Department of Criminal Investigation is now handling the case.