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Police seek help in search for evidence
By Jim Collar
of The Northwestern
Investigators are asking residents of an Oshkosh
neighborhood to search their yards and property for a key piece of evidence
missing after the Saturday shooting of an Oshkosh police officer.
Officers Wednesday said they still haven’t located the bullet that struck
Officer Nate Gallagher in an unprovoked attack near the intersection of
Minnesota Street and 17th Avenue. They plan to circulate fliers along several
blocks in the area, asking neighbors to search for metal bullet fragments or any
property damage they didn’t have as of last week.
Sgt. Steve Sagmeister conceded Wednesday that while “a person of interest” has
been identified in relation to the shooting, investigators are not yet prepared
to refer their case for prosecution.
“We’re still following up on any and all leads,” Sagmeister said. “We’re
still trying to build a case.”
Gallagher was shot in the right arm Tuesday in the south-side Oshkosh
neighborhood while speaking to another police officer outside his squad car.
While many heard the single shot, police were unable to find anyone who saw the
shooter, authorities said.
Police in a letter signed by Chief David Erickson asked neighbors to search
buildings, vehicles, lawn and shrubbery. Anyone who finds fragments or damage
shouldn’t touch it, but rather call police.
Gallagher continues to recover after being released from Mercy Medical Center on
Sunday. Police began a full-scale investigation immediately after the shooting.
Officers went door-to-door on Saturday night into Sunday morning in search of
anything that could lead them to a perpetrator.
While police continue to keep many of the facts of their probe under wraps,
Winnebago County prosecutors on Tuesday identified one source of police interest
in the case.
Police served a search warrant at home in the 1700 block of Minnesota Street
Sunday in search of evidence from the shooting. The Winnebago County District
Attorney’s Office Tuesday filed felony drug charges against a married couple
that live in the home based on marijuana found during the search.
Deputy District Attorney John Jorgensen Tuesday sought a $50,000 cash bond for
the 50-year-old man on the drug charge based on the on-going shooting probe.
Court commissioner Daniel Bissett released him on a $5,000 signature bond,
arguing that the shooting investigation couldn’t be an overriding factor in the
bail.
The Northwestern isn’t identifying the couple, because charges related to the
shooting haven’t been filed.
Neither police nor prosecutors will discuss items seized from the home that may
relate to the attack on Gallagher. The warrant was sealed and isn’t available
for public view.
Sagmeister Wednesday said investigators continue to piece their case together,
and items seized from the neighborhood are being processed. They continue to
seek more facts and any related items they can find.
“I can’t say whether it’ll be done by the end of the week, or by next week,”
Sagmeister said. “We’re not CSI. It takes time.”
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