Vice President Joe Biden met with law enforcement officials in Wisconsin Sunday afternoon to be briefed on the deadly driver of a truck that plowed into a crowded crowd at a memorial for the victims of a state police officer who was shot to death earlier in the day.
It is believed the man driving the truck that killed five and injured four others in Brookfield, Wisconsin, was a 28-year-old asylum seeker, who lived in Milwaukee, according to police. Details are still emerging on what prompted the attack.
Biden was taken to a police substation where he met with law enforcement officials, including the director of the Wisconsin State Patrol and state and local investigators, at 5 p.m. He was accompanied by his wife Jill and their children Hunter and Natalie, sources told The New York Times.
Shortly after the accident, officials said the driver had been taken into custody. He was taken to hospital for treatment of injuries. At least two helicopters were spotted hovering over the car the suspect was driving, a 12-year-old BMW.
Massive crowds had gathered in the Brookfield area to pay tribute to Lt. Matt A. Joos, a Wisconsin State Patrol officer. Joos, 39, had been shot and killed by his partner during a domestic dispute on Sunday morning. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of lieutenant, becoming the first Wisconsin state trooper killed in the line of duty since the 1800s.
Police in Brookfield, as well as the FBI, and federal agents were investigating the shooting. Brookfield Police Chief Timothy Hiller said it was unclear whether the shooting was linked to the festival.
“If there is a nexus, it is not confirmed at this time,” Mr. Hiller said. “It certainly looks that way. But it’s also not confirmed, and there’s a lot of reporting going on out there on this.”
According to Wisconsin State Patrol, Lt. Joos’ body was recovered from the scene of the shooting on Sunday afternoon. He is survived by his wife Jill and three sons: Wyatt, 12, and Tanner, 8, and Grant, 11. A procession of more than 2,000 mourners passed through Merton, home to Brookfield Northwestern High School, where the Joos boys attended. The hospital where Lt. Joos died has provided counseling for his family.
Read the full story at The New York Times.
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