A former judge has been shot dead at his home by a man with a hit list of figures "related to the judicial system", it has emerged.
John Roemer, 68, was a Juneau County judge from 2004 until 2017 and had previously worked as an assistant district attorney and an assistant state public defender.
Police were called to the house in the rural city of New Lisbon, in the US state of Wisconsin, at around 6.30am on Friday morning (June 3) following reports of two gunshots.
Specialist officers tried to negotiate with the gunman at the scene but were unsuccessful.
Police then entered the house just after 10am and found two people with gunshot injuries - one was deceased and the other had been wounded from a self-inflicted gunshot.
The injured man was discovered in the basement and was treated at the house before being taken to hospital. He remains in critical condition.
"There were two individuals found inside the property, one was deceased, and one had a self-inflicted gunshot wound," said Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul.
"The individual who is the suspect appears to have had other targets as well that appear 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."
Mr Kaul said he could not share details about others who were on the 'hit list'. While Mr Kaul did not formally identify Mr Roemer as the deceased, a separate official confirmed it was the former judge who had died, the New York Times reported.
"I can't speak to what any individuals or their protection details are doing," Mr Kaul said.
"But what I can say is that we have been in touch with those on the list, and are working to protect their security."
A local resident, Donna Voss, told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel she was deeply shocked by the incident.
"One of my neighbors called and said what's going on, what's going on," she said, adding that she heard police telling the person inside to "come out with your hands up".
"It was really surprising something like this would happen around here. I still can't comprehend it," she added.
Voss said of Mr Roemer: "He was such a nice guy. Church goer. It's terrible."
Another local resident, Jackie, said of Mr Roemer: “He walks his dogs all the time. He’s friendly, a nice enough guy.”
She said that it was a "small community" in the street where Mr Roemer lived and that the community had been shaken by the incident.
The investigation is being led by the Division of Criminal Investigation, which is part of the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
