Police investigating shots fired near downtown

By Brandi Makuski

Stevens Point police are investigating evidence of a shooting near the downtown district on Sunday morning.

Lt. Joe Johnson from the Stevens Point Police Department said officers conducting overnight patrol on June 12 were in the downtown area when they heard “approximately 10 gunshots just outside the [downtown] Square” at 2:50 a.m.

“We’re calling it a ‘shots fired’ incident,” Johnson said on Monday. “People who were downtown heard it but there was no evidence of anything at that time.”

Johnson said officers quickly left the downtown and investigated the area where they believed the shots were fired. Officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle they believed may have been involved but soon discovered it was not.

Several hours later, an individual walked into the Stevens Point Police Department at about 10:45 a.m. to report finding an unspent 9mm round on Water St. just north of Crosby Ave. When officers arrived there to investigate, they found 10 9mm casings in the bike lane. One mushroomed bullet and some broken glass were also found nearby, Johnson said.

“That’s really it,” Johnson said on Monday. “We’re hoping nobody was hurt.”

Johnson said that there have been no reports of gunshot victims presenting themselves at local hospitals, and as of Monday morning, no reports of property damage. Officers have been pulling surveillance video from area businesses as they continue to investigate, he said.

Johnson said anyone with information on the incident can call the department’s non-emergency number at 715.346-1500, or, tipsters can remain anonymous by submitting information via the P3 app on a smartphone.