[Music] these officers have closed in on a man who's wanted for homicide moving it all started on a seemingly calm day at a Quick Trip in Madison a man who had been identified as a suspect in a recent homicide walked into the store setting off a series of dramatic events Justin copm a 39-year-old man was accused of killing Kristen Schmidt just days before a neighbor heard a loud argument coming from her apartment when officers arrived for a welfare check back they found Kristen's lifeless body inside it appeared she had been strangled to death 2 days
later after naming cop Meer as the suspect officers caught up to him at the Quick Trip store where he and a police officer exchanged gunfire a Second Officer had also fired a taser in an attempt to detain him according to the Madison police department officers made multiple attempts to convinced Justin to put down his gun and surrender peacefully they tried reasoning with him urging him to think twice about his actions but cop Meer wasn't backing down with a barricaded gunman situation on their hands police had no choice but to lock down the location and call
in the SWAT team they surrounded the store preparing for whatever might come next other than that um none of there's none of us between here and there so we're good to go other than that if we can't get a in there you know after several attempts to communicate with Justin inside the bathroom he remained completely unresponsive the SWAT team growing more concerned decided to use a tactical surveillance pole camera sliding it under the door to get a glimpse of his movements inside as the SWAT team carefully slid the camera under the bathroom door the small
screen initially revealed only Shadows but then they spotted Justin in side they immediately tried to communicate with him hey Jus can you please let me know that you're okay I want to help you yes Justin I'm here with you right now we are here right now Justin I want to be here for you if we need to move mobile we mobile let me get up in front here laying on the ground what' he say yeah laying on the ground [Music] she Justin if you can hear me move your foot it seemed Justin had no intention
of responding to the SWAT team's calls so the team swiftly prepared for their next move bunker what saying a small Shield that's mobile I think they said they already pumped them they already we got to wait for the robot well if he's blocking the door that's what I'm saying like that's just not even well is the robot going to be able to get that door open County one oh really yeah that's a big um but I think we have to try with that though or if we don't have one way or the other okay stop
right there Jake laying flat on his back camera on we're going we're going to run with the body bunker say we say we can move the body bunker and just go with I agree right now you disagree move you coming up that's a firm all right wait for so I think our battle plan is is we keep a gun on him and then one of us is going to secure one of us will secure that firearm and get cuffs on him and then we have a long gun and a handgun on him guyses have gloves
I can go straight in and Splash too if we want it all depends I mean he's on his he's on his back right now want gloves I'll take them if you got him first light for the door I'm going to pass side door the door come on the far side or the near Side open I'm going to go on far side door somebody open near side this way so it it's probably going to push him so just push it all the way open keep pushing if his foot's against it his foot's probably against he's going
to let him open it a little before you pull that back I stay on this side of this get far I'll be far enough out of the way to where you can pull it as soon as we're ready to I'm saying we get first light we get eyes on we just hold let me movea full coverage of let me move the camera and then we can make that that way we never lose so Andress his left foot will be facing you his left arm is straight out 90° from his body and the gun should be
right by his left shin left shin got it and he's on his back correct he's out on his back leg spread AR left arm completely out head towards us at this point I should be away from you maybe almost like pointing more towards Caleb or towards the ice machine here that's yeah that's what here time's up or no h I guess we're at the point right now where we're not we're not you know what I mean we're not what we're not we're not in contact getting in custody right now right yeah and and wait and
then temps can come up all Retreat yeah they're not going to be able to get up in here anyway no we good good n let's move all right moving open camer out all right secured and we got to get that backpack too just keep that there yep cop Meer retreated to a bathroom where officers reported hearing two gunshots officers later found Mr copm dead in the bathroom of the store from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound because an officer fired their weapon the Wisconsin Department of justices division of criminal investigation is leading the investigation the investigation
later confirmed that cop Meer took his own life an autopsy showed a gunshot wound to his head and ballistics revealed the shot came from a pistol found in the bathroom no blame was placed on the officers involved as the evidence confirmed the self-inflicted nature of his death meanwhile on the other side of this tragedy the loss of christen Schmidt has left a deep void in the lives of her family and friends her sudden and tragic death is a pain that words can barely Express I've wanted so bad so many times in the last several days
just to pick up my phone and share stuff with her you know and things that happen and that's the hardest part Kristen was not just a friend she was a pillar of support for those she loved when her best friend was diagnosed with cancer Kristen stood by her through every challenge she was the first person I told um she was the first person that said you are not going to die she provided comfort in the darkest moments even shaving her friend's hair before it fell out and cooking for her when she was too tired to
take care of herself whether it was through a kind word a helping hand or just being there in the hardest time times Kristen made a lasting impact on everyone she met and her life was really just beginning
