The man who was shot by three Superior police officers during a confrontation on Oct. 5 told the officers he had a gun and refused to remove his hands from his pockets, police said.
In a news release, Superior Police Chief Nicholas Alexander identified the man who was shot as Joshua M. Farmer, 19, of Superior.
Citing body camera footage, Alexander said that during the confrontation on the 300 block of East Ninth Street that Friday morning, several officers asked Farmer if he had a gun, and he said, "Yeah," and continually refused to show his hands.
Farmer told the officers, "I'm going to shoot you," Alexander related. "You're going to die or I am going to die." He also allegedly indicated he was "not going to go back to jail."
Farmer then discarded a beverage he had been drinking, according to Alexander, and said, "Sorry I ruined your day." Farmer then reached toward his waistband as if reaching for a firearm, Alexander reported. "The officers responded to an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm and fired their service weapons, ultimately striking Mr. Farmer multiple times," he wrote.
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Those officers and other officers on the scene treated Farmer and stabilized him until ambulance personnel arrived, Alexander said. No firearm was found.
The officers encountered Farmer in Superior's Central Park areas as they were responding to a theft at a Belknap Street business.
Court records show Farmer has convictions in Wisconsin for felony bail jumping, misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor resisting or obstructing an officer.
Police didn't provide details on Farmer's condition, although it was previously reported that he was conscious when he was taken by ambulance to a Duluth hospital.
The names of the officers involved in the shooting previously were announced as George Gothner, Michael Kendall and Christopher Woolery.
Gothner was cleared in a officer-involved shooting in 2004 and was given a 10-hour suspension after an excessive-force complaint in 2014.
At the request of Superior police, the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating the incident. When the investigation is complete, the file will be turned over to the Douglas County District Attorney's Office for a determination as to whether the use of force was justified.
The officers involved have been placed on paid administrative leave during the investigation in accordance with department policy.
