Horror on Michigan/ Wisconsin border, suspect arrested

A suspect has been captured along the border of northern Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula, after a deadly shooting yesterday in Wisconsin.

The middle-aged man allegedly shot and killed three teenagers who were swimming in the Menominee River yesterday, also wounding a fourth young person.

More than 100 police officers were involved in the overnight search.

Prior to his capture, the alleged gunman had been last seen in Niagra, a small Wisconsin town that borders the Michigan Upper Peninsula.

The gunman was between two and three metres from his victims when he opened fire with an assault rifle.

There had been no communication with the victims beforehand, U.S. media report.

U.S. Congressmen Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) and Steve Kagen (D-Appleton), whose congressional districts cover the border area where the shooting took place, have issued the following statement.

************************* Stupak, Kagen comment on shooting

WASHINGTON – U.S. Congressmen Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) and Steve Kagen (D-Appleton) expressed their sympathy today for the families of the victims of the Thursday evening shooting in the Kingsford-Niagara area that killed three teenagers and left one injured.

Stupak and Kagen spoke with local and state law enforcement officials today and pledged their support to secure any federal resources that may be necessary.

“Our sympathy goes out to the families of the victims of this senseless attack,” said Stupak, who served 12 years with the Escanaba Police Department and Michigan State Police before being elected to Congress. “The men and women of the more than 10 law enforcement agencies involved are to be commended for their action in quickly apprehending a suspect in this tragic case.”

“I want to express my deepest sympathies to the families of the victims of this unspeakable tragedy,” said Kagen. “Our local law enforcement does a tremendous job and I want to commend them on their swift action in protecting our community.”

Stupak, who spoke today with Dickinson and Marinette County sheriffs’ department personnel as well as the Michigan State Police, and Kagen, who spoke with the sheriffs’ offices in Marinette and Florence Counties as the manhunt unfolded, pledged to deliver federal assistance if necessary.

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