By Shereen Siewert
The suspect in a downtown Appleton shooting that left a firefighter dead and a police officer wounded has been identified as 47-year-old Ruben Houston, of Wausau.
Houston died at a local hospital following an exchange of gunfire with police.
During a news conference Thursday, officials described the events leading up to the shooting, which began at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 15. Initially, first responders were called for a report of a man arriving on a bus from out of town who appeared to be having a seizure.
When first responders arrived, they assisted the man, who then left the bus and began walking toward a nearby library. At some point, police said, the man displayed a handgun and shots were exchanged.
Appleton firefighter Mitchell F. Lundgaard, 36, died in the shooting.
Two Appleton Police officers, Paul Christensen and Sgt. Christopher Biese, exchanged gunfire with Houston, police said. Christensen has been identified as the officer shot in the incident. He was treated at a local hospital and was released Thursday.
A female bystander, 30-year-old Brittany Schowalter, was struck by gunfire and was transported to a local hospital. She is reported in stable condition Friday at a local hospital.
Court records show Houston was released May 4 after posting $500 bond in a Fond du Lac Circuit Court case in which he was facing felony charges of possession of counterfeit narcotics with intent to deliver. It is not clear why Houston, who lived on Thomas Street in Wausau, was in Appleton at the time of the shooting.
An investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
