2 Officers Shot, Wounded In Exchange Of Gunfire

Authorities say they have arrested a suspect who shot and wounded two officers in Waukesha County early Friday morning.

The Delafield Police Department said one of their officers and another from the nearby village of Hartland confronted a man suspected of a hit-and-run around 1:40 a.m. outside a Holiday Inn in Waukesha County, about 27 miles west of Milwaukee.

The man, who has been identified as 23-year-old Nathanael Benton of Fargo, North Dakota, shot both officers multiple times with a handgun, said Sheriff Eric Severson. The officers’ wounds are not believed to be life-threatening, said Delafield Police Chief Erik Kehl.

Benton was with a 29-year-old female and a 30-year-old male both from Warsaw, Indiana. Both were taken into custody outside of the Holiday Inn and Benton fled on foot, Severson said.

Around noon Friday, the deputies arrested Benton in a vacant area in the far southeast corner of the city of Delafield after law enforcement received a tip about someone matching the suspect’s description, Kehl said.

Serverson said Benton is also wanted in Fargo, for an attempted murder on Nov. 1. Serverson said he doesn’t know why Benton or the two people from Warsaw were Waukesha County Friday morning and the investigation is ongoing.

“At this point there is no longer concern for the public safety,” Severson said. “This is still under investigation. We’ve had a very long day. This event lasted several hours. And we are all very grateful for the assistance of the community.”

The incident closed a portion of Interstate 94 in Waukesha County early Friday morning. The interstate was reopened late Friday morning.