William Voelker was a 69-year-old man who was involved in a shooting incident in Grand Rapids, Wisconsin on April 21, 2023.

According to the Department of Justice, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a handgun while talking to a Grand Rapids officer.

The officer involved in the shooting was cleared of any wrongdoing by the Wood County District Attorney.

There is no information in the search results about Voelker’s background or personal life.

William Voelker Video
According to reports from the Department of Justice investigation, at 10:57 PM April 21, Voelker was walking down the road in the 3100 block of Airport Avenue when a Grand Rapids officer stopped to talk to him.

Voelker was wanted on suspicion of bail jumping.

During the conversation, the officer told Voelker he was looking for him for bail jumping, and Voelker unzipped his jacket and reached inside for a handgun.

The officer warned Voelker to stop or the officer would shoot.

Voelker said he wanted the officer to shoot and pulled out the gun, according to the report.

The officer shot Voelker, then moved behind his squad car, reloaded his gun and called for help, according to the reports.

Officers provided medical attention to Voelker, but he died at the scene.


What happened to the officer who shot William Voelker?
The Department of Justice cleared the officer involved in the shooting incident of Voelker of any wrongdoing.

The Department of Justice’s usual practice is to post the investigative file of officer-involved deaths on DOJ’s website.

However, the subjects of this incident were juveniles, and the law requires that DOJ treat this matter differently.

Therefore, DOJ is posting the report of this incident that is required by Wis. Stat. § 175.47(5)(b).

However, all other records associated with the investigative file will not be open to inspection or their contents disclosed.

The Voelker video provides crucial evidence that can aid in deciding law enforcement officers’ appropriate actions and decisions.