2023 Racine police shooting, standoff; man found guilty at trial
Racine police shooting, man found guilty
A Racine man has been found guilty at trial for a 2023 shooting that wounded two police officers during a standoff.
RACINE, Wis. - A Racine man has been found guilty at trial for a 2023 shooting that wounded two police officers during a standoff.
In court
What we know:
Court records show 28-year-old Daniel Suarez was charged with seven felonies – including attempted first-degree intentional homicide – and three misdemeanors. A jury convicted him of all 10 counts on Friday.
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What's next:
Suarez is scheduled to be sentenced in July.
2 Racine officers shot, wounded after domestic incident on Gillen Street
2023 police shooting
The backstory:
Police were initially called for a domestic violence incident on Jan. 18, 2023. According to a criminal complaint, Suarez's girlfriend called police because he was inside their home with two guns and their two children – who were 1 and 3 years old at the time. Officials said he came outside and fired a gun into the air before police arrived.
Two hours after police arrived and had been trying to communicate with Suarez, officials said he fired multiple shots from a window at four officers. Officers returned fire, but did not hit the man.
Officers Joe Burinda and Benjamin Eiden (Courtesy: RPD)
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The Racine Police Department said two officers, Joe Burinda and Benjamin Eiden, were hit by Suarez's gunfire. The police chief at the time said Burinda sustained a shoulder injury and Eiden sustained facial injuries from what police believe were birdshot pellets. The other two officers involved were identified as Tom DeBaker and Dan Wasmund.
Suarez was eventually talked out of the residence, and he surrendered around 1:20 a.m. Wednesday. Police said he had "superficial injuries" and was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
The Source: Information in this report is from the Racine Police Department, Racine County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.