ALTOONA, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is investigating an officer-involved incident in the City of Altoona, Wis. that occurred in the early morning of Friday, October 8, 2021.

On October 8, 2021 at approximately 3:28am, Altoona Police Department and the Eau Claire Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a male subject who was acting strange and causing damage while standing on a vehicle in the City of Altoona, Wis. Upon arrival, Altoona officers and an Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Deputy contacted 43-year-old Demetrio A. Jackson. Officers attempted to take Jackson into custody for a probation hold, however Jackson was resistive and combative. Officers applied several force intervention options, including verbalization and a taser in an attempt to stabilize the situation.

The Altoona Police Department requested assistance from the Eau Claire Police Department to respond and assist with taking Jackson into custody.   

During the contact Jackson was experiencing distress. The involved officers requested emergency medical services. Altoona Fire and Eau Claire Fire both responded, provided care, and transported Jackson to a local hospital. Jackson has since died.  

Based on information available at this time, provisional autopsy results show the cause of death doesn’t appear to be from traumatic injuries and is still pending laboratory analysis at this time.  

Additional agencies involved include Eau Claire Police Department, Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin State Patrol, Altoona Fire Department and the Eau Claire Fire Department.

The involved officers are:

• Altoona Police Department
  
  • Officer Kim Schuch
  • Officer Leah Wolff

• Eau Claire Police Department
  
  • Officer Gracia Larson
  • Officer Robert Schreier
  • Officer Michael Cullen

• Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Office
  
  • Deputy Joseph Wollum
  • Deputy Jacob Pake

No other individuals were injured during this incident.

Per department protocol, the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), is leading the investigation at the request of the Altoona Police Department. All involved law enforcement are fully cooperating with DCI during this investigation.

DCI is collecting evidence in this incident and will turn over investigative reports to the Eau Claire County District Attorney when the investigation concludes.

The investigation is ongoing and no further information is currently available.

Please direct all media inquiries to Wisconsin DOJ.