The man who was discovered deceased following a shooting at a Kwik Trip convenience store on the east side of Madison on Friday afternoon was being sought in connection with a homicide case, according to Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes.
Barnes explained in his blog that officers encountered the 39-year-old individual inside the Kwik Trip located on the 3500 block of East Washington Ave. shortly after 4 p.m. on Friday.
At a press conference on Friday evening, Assistant Chief Matt Tye revealed that both the suspect and a member of the MPD fired shots during the incident.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation into the matter.
During a press conference on Monday, Barnes stated that one officer attempted to utilize a taser on the suspect, but when this was unsuccessful, another officer fired a single round.
Barnes indicated that one of the officers had been with MPD for 13 years while the other had been with the department for four years.
Both officers were SWAT team members who had recently completed de-escalation training.
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes confirmed that Justin Kopmeyer, a 39-year-old individual, was involved in the incident and died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Barnes acknowledged that this event may be traumatic for many members of the community and encouraged those struggling to make sense of it to seek support.
Kopmeyer was being sought in connection with the death of Kristin Schmitt, a 41-year-old woman who was discovered deceased in a multi-unit residence on Madison’s east side on Wednesday.
According to Barnes, Schmitt and Kopmeyer were in a relationship, and neighbors reported hearing a loud argument between a man and a woman in the early hours of the morning on the day of Schmitt’s death.
