Gunman Kills Wisconsin Judge as Part of Political Hit List, Mitch McConnell and Others Were Next: Report

A Wisconsin judge was killed in his home by a gunman with a political hit list that also included Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and others, CNN reported Saturday.

The Friday shooting targeted former Judge John Roemer, who had served as a circuit court judge in Juneau County. The 68-year-old judge was killed at his New Lisbon home by a still-unidentified 56-year-old shooter, authorities revealed. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said the shooter was motivated by “some sort of court case or cases” on Friday, but the investigation is ongoing. Kaul said they only know now that the hit list had “something to do with the judicial system.”

CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield reported on CNN Newsroom over the weekend that sources have told the network the shooter had planned on targeting a “long list” of other high-ranking government officials, including McConnell, Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI), and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), the latter of whom was targeted in a kidnapping plot that was foiled by FBI agents in 2020.

Though the gunman’s motivation is not yet known, CNN law enforcement correspondent Whitney Wild cited a “heightened threat” environment for government officials due to a “real concern” with unstable individuals who have “antigovernment sentiments and grievances” and could be seeking to attack “soft targets” like Roemer.

According to Kaul, local authorities received a call that someone was in Roemer’s home with a gun on Friday morning. The call came from an unidentified person who was inside Roemer’s home and heard two shots go off before they ran for a neighboring property. Police soon arrived and attempted to negotiate, but eventually breached the home, finding the judge dead and the gunman found in the basement with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Kaul confirmed on Friday that the shooter did have other targets he sought to kill. He said those targets have been notified, but there is currently no “active threat” to their lives.

Watch above via CNN.