A Dane County Sheriff’s deputy wounded a man during a shootout in a Madison area hotel Tuesday afternoon. The man, identified as 51 year-old Geoffrey Herling of Waukesha, remains hospitalized in stable condition. Officers responded just before 3:00 p.m. to the Road Star Inn in the Town of Middleton after staff called to report a man firing shots in the parking lot. Sheriff Dave Mahoney said Herling, armed with a handgun and shotgun, opened fire on deputies in a hallway. At least one deputy returned fire, striking Herling. Per the Dane County Sheriff’s Office critical incident policy, the three deputies directly involved have been placed on administrative leave.
Sheriff’s detectives have since learned more about Herling, who checked into the Road Star on July 6th. Herling has had a history of domestic incidents with his now ex-wife. Most recently, the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office had been attempting to contact Herling regarding an incident at his ex-wife’s home on the same day he checked into the Road Star. Detectives also learned that Herling had recently taken a large cash advance on a credit card, which he planned to use to leave the area. It was determined at the hospital that Herling was heavily intoxicated at the time of the shooting.
