5 dead, 2 injured in double shootings at Wisconsin homes

Authorities believe there was only one shooter involved.

July 29, 2019, 8:42 PM

Shootings at two homes in northern Wisconsin left five dead, including the suspected gunman, and two others injured, police said Monday.

Officers were responding to a call about a possible shooting at a home in Lake Hallie at about 10:30 p.m on Sunday when they found a man and woman dead and two others wounded, according to the Chippewa County Sheriff's Department.

The suspected shooter was among the dead, according to the department, but it didn't disclose the shooter's identity or gender.

PHOTO: A Lake Hallie Police officer works outside a home, July 29, 2019, in Lake Hallie, Wis., following a shooting the night before.
A Lake Hallie Police officer works outside a home, July 29, 2019, in Lake Hallie, Wis., following a shooting the night before.
Renee Jones Schneider/Star Tribune via AP

Four hours later, officers were attempting to notify the suspected shooter's next of kin at another residence about 9 miles away when they discovered another gruesome scene.

"We went to a residence in Lafayette, we knocked at the door and received no answer, we attempted to make calls again no answer," Chippewa County Sheriff James Kowalczyk told ABC affiliate WQOW in an on-camera interview. "We finally forced our way in and we found three other victims of a homicide."

PHOTO: Police tape blocks off a home, July 29, 2019, in Lake Hallie, Wis., following a shooting the night before.
Police tape blocks off a home, July 29, 2019, in Lake Hallie, Wis., following a shooting the night before.
Dan Reiland/The Eau Claire Leader-Telegram via AP
PHOTO: Lake Hallie Police work outside a home, July 29, 2019, in Lake Hallie, Wis., following a shooting the night before.
Lake Hallie Police work outside a home, July 29, 2019, in Lake Hallie, Wis., following a shooting the night before.
Dan Reiland/The Eau Claire Leader-Telegram via AP

He declined to identify any of the victims, but he said the second shooting left a man, woman and juvenile boy dead. Authorities believe there was only one shooter involved and they are still trying to determine a possible motive.

"At this time residents in the Village of Lake Hallie and Chippewa County are not in harms way," the department said in a statement Monday. "These investigations will be followed up with more details as the investigations continue."

The surviving victims were taken to a nearby hospital, but their conditions were unknown.

ABC News' Rachel Katz contributed to this report.