By Shereen Siewert
A 45-year-old man is jailed on a $1 million cash bond after he allegedly shot and critically wounded a man Saturday morning at a home on Wausau’s west side.
Michael L. Turner is being held on preliminary charges of attempted first-degree intentional homicide and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. Turner was captured in Marquette County about an hour after the shooting during a high-risk traffic stop and was transported to the Marathon County Jail. He was alone at the time of his arrest.
Wausau Police say the victim was parked on the road in the 1000 block of South Fifth Avenue at about 8:45 a.m. Saturday, May 15 when Turner allegedly drove up to the man, got out of his vehicle and shot the alleged victim as he sat in his own vehicle. Marathon County Assistant District Attorney Keri Puig said the victim suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and to the abdomen in the attack, then drove to the Tobacco Outlet on Third Avenue. He is currently in critical condition.
Police say Turner then drove two blocks away and handed off the weapon to an accomplice who spirited the weapon away. Police now believe the firearm is in the Minneapolis area but has not yet been recovered.
After his capture, Turner admitted to looking for the victim, finding the vehicle and shooting at him but then said “I don’t give a (expletive) what happened to the victim,” Puig said.
No passengers were in the vehicle at the time of the shooting, police said, and Turner was alone when he was arrested.
A defense attorney representing Turner told Circuit Judge LaMont Jacobson there is “much more to the story” and asked for a significantly lower bond, pointing to Turner’s ties to the Wausau area. Turner has a wife and children in Wausau and has been employed at a cheese factory for a year and a half. His most recent criminal case was more than 10 years ago, she said.
But Judge Jacobson disagreed with the defense’s argument and ordered the cash bond, noting the potential for significant time in prison should Turner be convicted.
An initial appearance is set for 2 p.m. Friday in Marathon County Circuit Court. Turner remains behind bars.
