Prosecutor: Lincoln County Deputy Justified In Shooting

Deputy Was Dispatched Feb. 27 To Investigate Vehicle In Ditch

police lights
mdfriendofhillary (CC-BY-SA)

A prosecutor says a Lincoln County deputy who shot and killed a man during a traffic stop was justified in his actions.

According to documents the state Department of Justice released Tuesday, deputy Samuel Steckbauer was dispatched Feb. 27 to investigate a report of a vehicle in a ditch on a rural road south of Merrill. When Steckbauer arrived, the vehicle’s driver, 40-year-old Shawn Igers, opened fire with a handgun, striking Steckbauer’s squad car. Steckbauer returned fire and hit him three times.

The documents indicate Igers was subject to a restraining order issued in August that prohibited him from possessing firearms.

Stay informed on the latest news

Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

In his legal opinion, Lincoln County District Attorney Galen Bayne-Allison said the deputy “chose to take actions that not only are permitted but in all honesty required.”

He called Iger’s death “tragic.”

Despite a troubled past, Igers was the 2016 commencement speaker at the University of Wisconsin-Marathon County.

Steckbauer had twice been named “Deputy of the Year.”