Ex-Judge Killed in ‘Targeted' Attack by Gunman With ‘Hit List’ Reportedly Including Mitch McConnell

Retired Juneau County Circuit Court judge, John Roemer, 68, was found dead in his home in the Township of New Lisbon on Friday, according to a news release by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

Roemer’s killing stems from a court case or cases, the department added, stopping short of offering further details.

Deputies from the Juneau County Sheriff’s Office were called to the home around 6:30 a.m. over reports of an armed person and two shots fired, according to the release.

Authorities tried to negotiate with the suspect, identified as Douglas K. Uhde, who was still in the home, but their attempts were unsuccessful, the department said.

The Juneau County Special Tactics and Response Team eventually entered the residence and discovered Roemer's body allegedly tied up with zip ties, according to a senior law enforcement official cited by news outlets.

Uhde was found in the basement of the home with an "apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound". The suspect, 56, was taken to a medical facility and remains in critical condition, the department added on Saturday. A firearm was recovered at the scene, the state’s DOJ said.

Attorney General Josh Kaul said at a news conference that the suspect "appears to have had other targets".

"It appears to be related to the judicial system. At this point, we are not aware of any evidence indicating that there is any active danger to other individuals. Those who may have been other targets have been notified of that", the Wisconsin attorney general stated.

However, according to two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the incident and cited by NBC News, the suspected gunman carried a hit list that included the names of US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The purported hit list was found in the process of taking Uhde to hospital, the sources added.

The US Capitol Police have been notified about the threat against Mitch McConnell, according to media reports.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office acknowledged it had been notified by law enforcement about the list.

"Governor Whitmer has demonstrated repeatedly that she is tough, and she will not be bullied or intimidated from doing her job and working across the aisle to get things done for the people of Michigan", her office said in a statement.

A spokesperson for Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said, "We do not comment on specific security threats or the governor’s security detail".

According to a review of online Wisconsin Circuit Court records carried out by CNN, Douglas K. Uhde has a criminal history in the state dating back to at least 2002.

At the time, he had been convicted of armed burglary and firearms charges, with the case appearing to have come before then-Judge Roemer in 2005. Uhde’s charges in 2006 and 2007 included fleeing police and a misdemeanour for obstructing an officer, cited online records show.

Juneau County Circuit Court Judge John Roemer, originally elected in 2004 and then re-elected in 2010 and 2016, retired in August 2017. He also served as an assistant district attorney for Juneau County and an assistant state public defender.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Annette Kingsland Ziegler said in a statement:

“Judge Roemer dedicated much of his career to public service in the law. He was known by colleagues for his sharp legal mind and his willingness to share his time and knowledge with others. His work made a tremendous difference in the lives of many people in Juneau County and elsewhere in the state”.