A veteran firefighter with the Appleton, WI, Fire Department was shot and killed Wednesday night while on an EMS run in an incident that also wounded a police officer and bystander.
The Appleton Fire Department announced the identity of 14-year veteran firefighter Mitch Lundgaard on Thursday afternoon and the details of the incident.
According to the department's Facebook page, Appleton police and fire personnel, along with a Gold Cross ambulance crew, responded at around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday to the 100 block of E. Washington St. to assist a 47-year-old male who was reportedly having a medical emergency on a public bus.
First responders provided medical assistance to the man, who eventually exited the bus and started walking toward a nearby library. While still attending to the man, who is believed to be from the Wausau area, the incident escalated and shots were fired, although the Facebook post was not clear on who fired a weapon.
Firefighter Lundgaard was struck by gunfire along with a female bystander and an Appleton police officer. The woman is in stable condition and the officer was released from the hospital earlier today, but the 47-year-old male died from his injuries after being transported to a hospital.
The incident is being investigated by the Green Bay Police Department with the assistance of other agencies.
"Today has been a difficult day," the Appleton FD said in the post. "There will be many more difficult days to come, not just for our department, but for our community as well."
