CRANDON, Wis. -- Of the dozens of bullets fired by Tyler Peterson as he mowed down friends and Crandon High School classmates in a fatal flurry, authorities said Tuesday, he apparently saved the last few for himself.
Evidence shows the 20-year-old Forest County Sheriff's deputy and part-time Crandon police officer probably committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with his .40-caliber handgun as law enforcement officers closed in on him, hours after Peterson killed six people, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said.
Peterson left behind a chaotic, blood-soaked scene inside a white duplex where two victims died while trying to hide in a bedroom closet and another victim survived only by playing dead.
Peterson was hit by four bullets -- one shot to his bicep, which came from a long distance, and three to his head. Two of the shots were non-fatal wounds underneath Peterson's chin, with the fatal shot entering the right side of his head, Van Hollen said. All three head wounds showed signs the gun was held against his skin.
In a chilling time line released at a media briefing Tuesday afternoon, Van Hollen also answered questions that have dogged investigators as the public wondered what happened early Sunday.
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For the first time, authorities gave an account of the scene inside the home, with three bodies -- Bradley Schultz, 20, Lindsey Stahl, 14, and Aaron Smith -- found near a couch; Jordanne Murray, 18, found inside the kitchen, and Lianna Thomas, 18, and Katrina McCorkle, 18, found inside or just outside a bedroom closet where they apparently were trying to hide.
The only person to survive the attack, 21-year-old Charlie Neitzel, apparently tried to reason with Peterson inside the kitchen but was shot in the leg. He continued to plead with Peterson before being shot two more times. Peterson stopped shooting only when Neitzel played dead, Van Hollen said.
Neitzel was upgraded from serious to fair condition Tuesday at St. Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield, Wis.
Though the precise order of events is unclear, the attorney general said, investigators know that Peterson showed up at Murray's home, argued with her and accused her -- his ex-girlfriend -- of having a relationship with someone else. About 2:30 a.m., she demanded he leave. He did, but not for long.
A few minutes later, Peterson wordlessly broke down the door armed with an AR-15 assault rifle, the same type of gun he used as a member of the Forest County Sheriff's Department special emergency response team. Officials have declined to say whether that AR-15 is the one issued to him by the department.
Then Peterson "simply opened fire and killed six young people about to enter the prime of their lives," Van Hollen said.
Another Crandon police officer, Greg Carter, heard the shooting while patrolling the small community of 2,000. The two men knew each other very well. Carter and Peterson graduated together from high school and Nicolet Area Technical College -- where they both earned criminal justice degrees -- and both started working part time for Crandon at the same time.
Carter, 21, stopped his squad car and saw Peterson leaving Murray's house carrying his AR-15 at 2:48 a.m. Moments later, the windshield of Carter's squad burst under a hail of gunfire and Carter frantically backed up and took cover.
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Peterson showed up at the Town of Argonne, Wis., home of a friend, where he confessed to the killings and eventually turned over his AR-15 and two other long guns. Peterson left his friend's home at 8:30 a.m. and returned about 9:15 a.m. Within 12 minutes, authorities were at the home. Van Hollen declined to reveal what transpired from that point until Peterson died.
As the community prepared for seven funerals, Crandon school officials prepared to resume school today. The preparations have been stressful because staff members include victims' parents and a grandparent, Superintendent Richard Peters said. Counselors and psychologists from at least half a dozen area districts will be at the school.
