“Today has been a difficult day. There will be many more difficult days to come,” Appleton Police Chief Todd Thomas said during a Thursday afternoon press conference where he identified the fallen Appleton firefighter as Mitch Lundgaard.
Lundgaard, a fourteen year veteran of the Appleton Fire Department was struck by gunfire along with a female bystander and an Appleton Police officer during a medical assistance call Wednesday at the downtown Valley Transit Center.
Appleton Fire Chief Jeremy Hansen said Lundgaard had a wife and three young children. “This has been a trying 24-hours for our department and our community.” Wednesday evening, Appleton police and fire personnel were initially called to assist a 47-year-old man who was having a medical emergency, which Thomas described as a seizure.
Thomas said the man arrived on a bus and they believe that he is from the Wausau area. After receiving medical attention, Thomas said the man pulled a small handgun and began to open fire.
Lundgaard was struck and had to be transported to an Appleton hospital where he later died from his injuries. The 47-year-old shooter also died from his injuries. The Appleton police officer was released from the hospital on Thursday and the woman is in stable condition.
The investigation is being led by the Green Bay Police Department.
WTAQ
