The district attorney in Chippewa County has decided the officer who fired a fatal shot during a traffic stop last October was acting in self-defense.
Sheriff’s Sergeant Martin Folczyk and his partner say Lance R. Stelzer was wearing several layers of clothing, a ski mask, and glasses when he was stopped. He began spraying Folczyk and his partner with a chemical when they walked up to the vehicle’s door.
The sergeant said he didn’t think a Taser would be effective due to all the layers of clothing Stelzer was wearing, so he shot the man as he continued to approach them.
Several people later told investigators that Stelzer had talked about committing suicide by forcing a law enforcement officer to shoot him.
