Wisconsin police cleared in hostage death at cycle shop

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Neenah - No charges will be filed against two Neenah police officers who fatally shot hostage Michael L. Funk during a Dec. 5 standoff at Eagle Nation Cycles.

The Wisconsin Attorney General's Office determined officers Craig Hoffer and Robert Ross were justified in killing Funk after he escaped out a back door of the building carrying a handgun.

Attorney General Brad Schimel announced the decision Friday at a press conference at City Hall. It came after a five-month investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice. State law requires that an independent agency investigate when police kill a person.

"The officers acted in an objectively reasonable manner," Schimel said. After Schimel's statement, three people wearing "Eagle Nation" T-shirts left the room.

Schimel said the officers believed Funk had been shooting at them from inside Eagle Nation, based on body camera conversations. An officer said "that's him," referring to Funk coming out the back door.

The attorney general also said that "recordings reveal officers believed they had been ambushed and baited for the purpose of being killed."

After Schimel's initial remarks, a video depicting a comprehensive view of the incident was shown. During the video, police yell "show me your hands!" after Funk was shot.

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The videos released by the Department of Justice are appalling in several ways.

Neenah police officers look ill-prepared as they storm Eagle Nation Cycles and their retreat appears disorganized.

Neenah police officer Craig Hoffer was shot in the helmet. Yet he went back on the scene after specifically being told not to by a police sergeant. He ended up shooting Michael L. Funk, a hostage who had escaped the motorcycle shop.

Neenah police officers fired without warning. Officers did not order Funk to drop his handgun before shooting him. Rather, they yelled, "Show me your hands!" after they shot him and he hit the pavement. It would have taken literally less than a second to say "drop the gun" and an innocent man could still be alive.

Most of all, we are outraged about the fact that a police officer gunned down a man and laughed about it.

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