The Superior Police Department officer who was shot early Sunday, Dec. 7, will recover fully and is in good spirits, according to Superior’s Chief of Police.
The department used Marsy’s Law to shield releasing the names of officers involved.
A Dec. 13, 2025 story the appeared in the Superior Telegram covered the incident. According to the story:
Both the injured officers and another officer who exchanged fire with the gunman at Superior Middle School have been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation.
Chief Paul Winterscheidt said he expects the investigation will take a few weeks, but that the incident will also be reviewed internally per department policy.
The names of the officers will not be released because of Wisconsin’s Marsy’s Law, an amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution approved by voters in 2020 that increases crime victims’ rights.
Even when body camera footage and reports from the incident become available, Winterscheidt said, the names and faces of the victims will be redacted.
A third officer provided critical assistance to the wounded officer, the chief said in a Sunday press conference that also featured Mayor Jim Paine.
Although the most recent officer-involved shooting took place in 2018, Winterscheidt said this is the first time in his 20 years with the department that an officer has been shot in the line of duty.
“Those three officers in particular were very new to the job, but they responded like veteran officers,” Winterscheidt said. “I think we are all grateful for how this resulted. Everybody survived; the community’s safe and that’s important. And our officer will heal.”
Superior Police Department officers receive continuous training — four firearms training sessions and at least one defensive tactics training per year, according to the article. In addition, SPD trains with other area agencies as part of an active shooter response.
Winterscheidt pointed out that ambush assaults of officers are on the rise across the country. He also said he appreciated the outpouring of support — from the immediate response from law enforcement agencies to the community’s patience as a busy Tower Avenue-37th Street intersection was closed while officers catalogued bullet holes and casings on Sunday morning. St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay called Winterscheidt minutes after the shooting was reported.
The chief also said upgraded security cameras at the middle school helped police pinpoint the area in which the gunman was contained.
“I think the situation was resolved quickly,” Winterscheidt said, “because of the precautions that the school put in place.”
