Captain David Vorpahl of the Manitowoc Police Department has released additional information on the events that occurred on the city’s southside Friday night into Saturday morning.
On Friday, May 17 at 11:39 pm, a Manitowoc woman reported to the Manitowoc Police Department regarding threatening behavior of her ex-boyfriend who was violating a restraining order. While at the Police Department, the woman received a phone call stating the woman’s ex-boyfriend may have thrown some sort of flammable/explosive device in front of her residence on Raton Court in the city of Manitowoc.
Officers checked the ex-boyfriend’s residence at 1030 S. 25th St. and witnessed him run from a vehicle into the residence where he barricaded himself inside. The vehicle which the ex-boyfriend fled from matched the description of the vehicle that fled from Raton Court after the explosion was heard/seen and fire remnants were later discovered. Evidence of the explosion/fire was also found in the roadway in front of the woman’s house.
Due to the dangerous threats and actions of the ex-boyfriend (suspect), a perimeter was set up in the area of the 1000 block of S. 25th St. The Manitowoc County SOS Team responded and attempted to resolve the standoff with the suspect for several hours to no avail. The Brown / Outagamie County Bomb Squad assisted as well as personnel from the Manitowoc PD drone unit. With assistance from the Manitowoc DA’s Office, a search warrant was obtained for the residence. After not hearing or seeing the suspect for several hours, an effort was made to enter the residence at about 10 am on Saturday morning. Suspicious wiring was located within the residence which delayed complete entry. Ultimately when the entryways were made safe, a sweep of the residence was conducted. The suspect, a 49 YOA Manitowoc man, was found deceased in a bedroom on the ground floor. The Manitowoc County Coroner’s Office is assisting with the investigation. The ATF also assisted in processing the scene on Raton Court. The police department was also assisted by the Manitowoc Fire Department, Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office, and Manitowoc Public Utilities.
An autopsy was conducted at the Milwaukee Medical Examiner’s Office today, with results to be released later today.
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to call the Manitowoc Police Department at 920-686-6551.
