In the early morning hours of June 20, 2021, a chaotic and ultimately fatal encounter unfolded in Appleton, Wisconsin, ending the life of 38-year-old Jonathan James Tolley, a White male. The incident began around 4:30 a.m. when police received a call about a suspicious person in the 2800 block of E. Newberry St. As officers were on their way, a second, more frantic 911 call came from residents of a home in the area, reporting that an unknown man had broken into their house.
Inside the
home, the residents had locked themselves in a bedroom for safety, listening as the intruder, later identified as Tolley, yelled from within their house. The situation escalated dramatically when Tolley forcibly breached the locked bedroom door where the residents were taking shelter while on the phone with dispatchers. Feeling threatened as Tolley continued to advance toward them, one of the residents fired a single gunshot.
When police arrived, they found Tolley with a gunshot wound. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An extensive investigation into the shooting concluded that the resident acted in self-defense. Investigators found no prior connection between Tolley and the homeowners and could not determine a motive for his actions. A toxicology report indicated that Tolley had a blood alcohol concentration of. 272 at the time of his death. As a result of the investigation, authorities did not recommend any criminal charges against the resident who shot Tolley, and no arrests were made.
