For members of the Fond du Lac Police Department, there’s another hurdle in getting over the pain of losing an officer in a standoff incident last March. The state Department of Justice has released photos, videos, and records from the investigation into the fatal shooting of Office Craig Birkholz.
Many redactions were made to what the DOJ released online about the shooting that killed Birkholz, critically wounded another officer, and led to the shooter taking his own life. Still, Police Captain Steve Klein says it is a reminder of Officer Birkholz’s sacrifice and the efforts of others that day.
AUDIO: Captain Steve Klein (:13)
Klein says the department will not forget Officer Birkholz, but they are trying to put the incident behind them. He says they are well into the healing process and are working to move forward, even though it’s something they will never forget.
Klein says dashboard video of Officer Birkholz rushing to the scene and some of the radio traffic recordings bring up memories that are still fresh. He says “it made the hair on his arms stand up” and is reminder of a tragic event.
Hundreds of photos and documents are included in the information released online by the Department of Justice.
Bob Nelson, KFIZ