A message from the Chief of Police: Statement from Chief Thomas regarding the Valley Transit incident that occurred May 15, 2019.
This tragedy has forever changed the lives of many people, most importantly those of the Lundgaard family. We know there is nothing any of us can do to take away the pain this has caused, but as a community we can continue to support them and stay committed to responding to this the way that Mitch would want us to.
The body camera videos we will release will allow you to see and feel how this incident developed, and it puts you in the shoes of the officers involved. They are very intense and difficult videos to watch. But there is also a video that shows the exact moment that officers working the scene learned that Mitch had died. It is heart-wrenching and painful to watch; but the officer’s actions after that also demonstrates what is meant when you hear those words, The Thin Blue Line, or The Thin Red Line. On the video you see the immediate shock they feel, how everyone takes a breath and pauses for a couple seconds, and then how they jump right back into getting things done and working the investigation. That is what your officers and firefighters do every day. I could not be prouder of how both our departments responded to this.
As we continue to heal from this, what have we learned about our community?
Obviously this was an anomaly for our community, or for any community, and this could have happened anywhere on the bus route from Milwaukee to Wausau. This was a criminal traveling through our community, who had a long history of illegal and dangerous behavior. His actions were pure evil, plain and simple.
But, it is the actions of those first responders, and how this community supported us, which reaffirms everything we already know about Appleton; and that is what will truly be the final word in this tragedy.
Todd L. Thomas
Chief of Police
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INTRO MUSIC: "Wolfhunter" by Forensic.
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