Fatal police shooting of Menomonie home invasion suspect deemed justified
DUNN COUNTY, Wis. -- The three law enforcement officers who shot and killed a 45-year-old man in western Wisconsin in January did so in self defense and will not be charged, Dunn County District Attorney Andrea Nodolf determined.
Dunn County Sheriff's Deputy Jacob Blum, along with a Lieutenant Michael Sampson and Officer Tyson Kahl from the Menomonie Police Department fired on Nicholas Ciccarelli on the evening of Jan. 21.
A 911 caller said Ciccarelli approached his door and threatened to kill him earlier that evening. He then allegedly fired several shots while stealing the man's blue PT Cruiser. Ciccarelli drove the car in an "erratic fashion" around the neighborhood, and the officers issued several verbal commands, though he failed to comply.
Blum told him to "get on the ground" but Ciccarelli refused and instead advanced and told Blum to "do it then." Blum then saw a silver handgun in Ciccarelli's hand, Nodolf said.
The three officers fired approximately at the same time after "observing the clear, imminent, and direct threat to Deputy Blum," Nodolf added.
Ciccarelli's .357 revolver was recovered at the scene. It was cocked and ready to fire. There was also 17 grams of methamphetamine in the passenger seat of the stolen PT Cruiser. There was a "high level" of meth in Ciccarelli's system, according to a postmortem toxicology report.
Nodolf said that based on the events of the evening, the officers "were left with no other choice," and deemed the shooting to be justified. Blum acted in self defense, while Kahl and Sampson was an act of defense of others.