Officer Kou Her
Two off duty Wisconsin police officers were killed in separate incidents overnight. Milwaukee Officer Kou Her died after being struck by a speeding driver who ran a red light at around 1:30 a.m. Her had just ended his shift. The suspect is in custody. And in Racine, a manhunt is underway for a suspect who shot and killed Officer John Hetland after Hetland attempted to stop an armed robbery at Teezers bar Monday night.
Hetland is a 24-year veteran of the Racine Police Department. “Officer Hetland was a trusted and highly respected member of the department, serving in various positions over the years, including an assignment as a field training officer, as well as a member of the Greater Racine FBI Gang Task Force,” said the Racine Police Department in a news release.
Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales held a news conference and said that Her is a two-year veteran of the police department and was assigned to District 4. Witnesses say the suspect was traveling at a high rate of speed — and crossed the intersection at a red light when he struck Her.
Officer John Hetland
Morales said the suspect in this case is a 34-year-old Milwaukee resident with four OWI convictions in Wisconsin. His most recent was in May 2017 — and he was still on probation for that one.