Police officers from Chetek and Cameron slain during traffic stop
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by LeAnn R. Ralph
BARRON COUNTY — Two police officers with the Chetek Police Department and the Cameron Police Department were shot and killed during a traffic stop Saturday, April 8.
According to a news release from the Village of Cameron, at approximately 3:38 p.m. Saturday, an officer from the Chetek Police Department made a traffic stop, and gunfire was exchanged.
One Chetek police officer and one Cameron police officer were pronounced dead at the scene. The suspect in the shooting was taken to a hospital where he later died.
The officers have been identified as Emily Breidenbach, age 32, with the Chetek Police Department, and Hunter Scheel, age 23, with the Cameron Police Department.
According to a news release from the Chetek Police Department, Officer Breidenbach had served in Chetek since 2019, and Officer Scheel had served with the Cameron Police Department since 2022.
The officers were conducting the traffic stop based on a warrant and to check the welfare of the driver, Glenn Douglas Perry, age 50, following notification of concerning behavior, according to an updated news release from Cameron dated April 10.
Officer Breidenbach had approximately five years of law enforcement service and had started her law enforcement career with the Stoughton Police Department, where she had served for about nine months before joining the Chetek Police Department, according to the updated news release.
Officer Scheel graduated from the Law Enforcement Academy in December of 2022 and had been with the Cameron Police Department for approximately one year, the news release states.
A videotape posted on Facebook shows Officer Emily, as she was known in the community, in a full police uniform, dancing with two little girls at a community event.
Another Facebook posting was from a dog groomer who groomed K-9 Officer Grizz , who was one of Officer Breidenbach’s partners at the police department ,where K-9 Grizz, a Labradoodle, serves as the department’s therapy dog.
The dog groomer wrote that she had shared many laughswith Officer Emily and described the police officer as “a joy to be around.”
Another Facebook posting was from Little Red Barn Dog Rescue, where Officer Breidenbach had, the day before, brought in a small dog she had “gotten out of a bad situation.”
The dog rescue posted a photo of Officer Emily with donations of supplies she had obtained for the rescue.
The Little Red Barn Dog Rescue post described Officer Breidenbach as “truly a gift to our community” who “shined her brightest when serving.”
One Facebook comment noted that Officer Breidenbach would bring Officer Grizz to breakfast with her at Norm’s Cafe.
Other comments described her as “one of a kind” and “a blessing to our community.”
According to news reports, Officer Breidenbach’s father is former Chetek Police Chief Robert Breidenbach.
Officer Scheel, reportedly a veteran of the Wisconsin National Guard who served in Afghanistan, is described in Facebook postings as “kind,” “responsible” and “honorable.”
A reply to a Facebook post noted that the person’s dog had escaped and had been at large for several days when the owner spotted the dog down one particular street. Officer Scheel parked his police squad across the end of the street to keep other traffic out until the person was able to get a hold of his dog.
Village of Cameron Police Chief Adam Stiffen posted on Facebook, “Our community is experiencing a time of great tragedy. As we continue to work through this, please respect the privacy of our law enforcement officers and their families. We want to thank the community for their continued support and overwhelming acts of kindness. The support has been tremendous!”
According to another Facebook posting, the bodies of the two officers arrived with a procession at the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office in Ramsey Monday morning. Another procession was expected to return with the bodies of Officer Breidenbach and Officer Scheel between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Monday.
The Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is leading this investigation and is assisted by Barron County Sheriff’s Office, Rusk County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin State Crime Lab and a DCI Crime Response Specialist. All involved law enforcement are fully cooperating with DCI during this investigation, according to the news release from Cameron.
DCI is continuing to review evidence and determine the facts of this incident and will turn over investigative reports to the Barron County District Attorney when the investigation concludes, the news release states.
