No Evidence Of Active Shooter Found Following Multiple Reports In Rice Lake

RICE LAKE, WI -- On September 19, 2024, reports of an active shooter near Walmart in Rice Lake triggered a large emergency response from local law enforcement and other agencies. Despite multiple reports of gunfire, no evidence of a shooting was found, and further investigation revealed that a modified vehicle backfiring had caused the false alarm. The incident led to the lockdown of schools and businesses, according to a press release from the Rice Lake Police Department.

PRESS RELEASE

On Thursday, September 19, 2024, at approximately 6:30 pm Barron County Communications Center received a citizen report of an active shooting incident taking place near Walmart. Multiple Rice Lake Officers, Barron County Deputies, and other northern Wisconsin police agencies responded to the area in emergency mode.

Upon arrival, there was no physical evidence to support that a shooting had taken place, but officers began to search the area further.

While searching the area, additional reports of gunshots being fired from a moving vehicle were reported in the area of W. Allen St near the Rice Lake Middle School. Officers and deputies began responding to that area; again, not locating any evidence of a shooting incident. A subsequent report that a suspect vehicle, which was described as a black vehicle, had left westbound on W. Allen St was also received.

A short time later, another report of gunshots near T-Mobile was received. The suspect vehicle was spotted northbound on West Ave at that time and stopped by multiple officers. Two occupants in the vehicle were detained at that time.

The preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect's car had been modified to cause the vehicle to intentionally backfire during acceleration to sound like multiple rounds of gunfire. No firearms were located or evidence that a shooting occurred. However, this incident caused dozens of law enforcement officers, fire/paramedics, and other resources to respond to the city to assist. Furthermore, multiple businesses had to be placed into lockdown, events at Rice Lake Middle School immediately canceled and both the Rice Lake High School and Rice Lake Middle School were placed into lockdown.

This case is actively being investigated further to determine the applicable, recommended criminal charges which will ultimately be determined by the Barron County District Attorney's Office. We would like to thank the Rice Lake community for their assistance while we had to shut down multiple roads and events while we investigated these reports. We would also like to thank all law enforcement, fire, and EMS agencies that responded and provided assistance.