Friends and family say many were shot by police in Fitchburg

Kevin Price was then taken to hospital where he died of a pulmonary embolism three days later.

The state Department of Justice has not yet released its findings on the Aug. 12 incident because District Attorney Ismael Ozanne has not yet released findings on the investigation. But Price’s friends and family, including DeLuna, said the couple had been arguing, tensions were high in the house and Price had called 911 just before the shooting, according to a recording of the calls his friends shared with the Wisconsin State Journal “.

Among the details that were officially released, the Justice Department said, officers were dispatched to the couple’s apartment at 800 Whispering Pines Way on reports of a domestic disturbance. The witness told the officers that two people had argued in one of the apartments. After “a long time” of knocking on the door and no answer, police officers entered the house. Police say Price approached them with a knife before Sgt. Peter Johnston shot him.

DeLuna described what happened:

He and Price were together for about five years. They shared an apartment with a roommate who was not home at the time of the incident. Over the past few years, officers became acquainted with the couple during numerous telephone conversations. Fitchburg police records show officers contacted Price 14 times, most of them for disorderly conduct, domestic battery and bail jumping.

“We were obsessed with each other and it was unhealthy,” DeLuna said. “When everything calms down, it just comes back and life goes on.”

After knocking and reporting, police evacuated DeLuna and Willard, the couple’s dog. One officer verified DeLuna’s identity while others searched the apartment for Price, who was experiencing a mental health crisis. DeLuna told the officer that Price was hiding with a knife in their bedroom closet and relayed that information to officers in the room.

DeLuna heard their commands and police shouted at his boyfriend to drop the knife he was holding. Then the shooting. DeLuna opened his eyes, squeezing them shut in fear, as police carried his boyfriend out of the apartment and placed him on the ground to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation while they waited for an ambulance.

“The last thing I saw was his limp body being loaded into the ambulance,” DeLuna recalled.

According to DeLuna, the hours leading up to the shooting were tumultuous. DeLuna said Price was supposed to work at 5 a.m. but didn’t come inside. The pair argued and Price tried to take DeLuna’s keys from him, which escalated into a physical altercation. He believes neighbors called the police late in the morning to report a domestic disturbance. Price left and returned, and the pair separated into different rooms to give each other space. Unbeknownst to DeLuna, Price himself called the police during this time.

When they arrived, Price simply told DeLuna, “Don’t tell them where I am.”

Given the couple’s history, there is some tension between DeLuna and Price’s family and friends, who question some of the details of DeLuna’s account, especially regarding the 911 call. After listening to the recorded conversation, Price’s friend, P.J. Chamberlain, and Price’s grandmother, Ruthann Mork, maintain that it was Price who called 911 that morning, not a neighbor.

Chamberlain provided the State Journal with a recording of the 911 call from that day. The voice in it, identified by Chamberlain and Mork as Price, tells the dispatcher, “He tried to break my neck.” The person also mentioned a no-contact order that DeLuna said applied to both of them as a condition of their bond stemming from a previous domestic violence case, and then said, “never mind.” The conversation ended there. Dispatchers tried to call back but received no answer.

According to DeLuna, the “neck” comment was related to the couple’s argument. DeLuna said he was on top of Price, trying to hold him down to prevent him from taking the keys.

Those were the last words Ruthann Mork said to her grandson when she saw him in July. He came home to Racine for a visit, bringing with him a bouquet of handmade wreaths and gifts for the family. Mork and other members of Price’s family tried to convince him to return home to Racine, but he attended school and worked in Madison for years.

After his death, narratives began to circulate about Price’s mental health and his struggle with addiction. This was a matter of concern for his grieving relatives, especially Morek.

“Kevin was just an extraordinary kid. I mean, he was just amazing,” Mork said. “He is not portrayed honestly at all.”

He filled the family chat with photos of his art and the food he cooked. Mork talked to her grandson almost every day, and he never hung up the phone without saying, “I love you so much.”

Price grew up in a “very Back the Blue” family, she said: His mother studied criminal justice at university and for several years in his youth, Price himself had aspirations to become a police officer.

“For me, that’s Kevin. Calls the police when he needs help; he called them,” Mork said.

The Justice Department’s Criminal Investigations Division is investigating the shooting, which is standard practice whenever an officer shoots someone.

While the Justice Department continues its investigation, the officers involved in the shooting remain on administrative duty. When The State Journal requested an interview with Fitchburg police about the shooting, Capt. Edward Hartwick told reporters that any questions about the incident should be directed to the Department of Justice. The Justice Department denied the State Journal’s request for audio, video and written records of the shooting, citing the ongoing investigation.

Without elaborating on the matter, Hartwick said the department’s use-of-force training is consistent with state law enforcement standards and is based on “contemporary best-practice policies governing the use of force and electronic control devices.”