On a Wednesday evening, May 15, 2019, a routine medical call in Appleton, Wisconsin, spiraled into a tragedy that claimed the life of 36-year-old White/Caucasian male Mitchell Lundgaard, a devoted firefighter and family man. The incident began around 5:30 p.m. at the Valley Transit Center, where first responders were dispatched to assist a 47-year-old man, Ruben Houston, who was reported to be suffering from a seizure on a bus.
Emergency crews, including Lundgaard, provided medical aid to Houston, who was believed to have overdosed.
After being administered Narcan, a medication to reverse opioid overdose effects, Houston became responsive and exited the bus with the first responders. As police officers attempted to speak with him and conduct a pat-down for weapons, the situation abruptly escalated. Houston, who was from the Wausau area, pulled out a concealed handgun and began firing. In the ensuing chaos, Lundgaard, a 14-year veteran of the Appleton Fire Department, was struck by gunfire. An Appleton police officer, Paul Christensen, and a female bystander, Brittany Schowalter, were also wounded in the exchange.
Lundgaard was rushed to a local hospital, but he tragically succumbed to his injuries. The suspect, Ruben Houston, was shot by police during the confrontation and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. The investigation, led by the Green Bay Police Department, later determined that two Appleton police officers, Sergeant Christopher Biese and Officer Paul Christensen, had fired their weapons. The Outagamie County District Attorney ultimately ruled that the officers were justified in their use of deadly force.
It was later revealed that Ruben Houston had a significant criminal history dating back to 1990, including convictions for firearms and drug possession. At the time of the fatal shooting, he was out on bond for pending drug charges. Mitchell Lundgaard was remembered as a selfless public servant, a loving husband to his wife, Lindsey, and a devoted father to their three young sons. His death marked the first line-of-duty fatality for the Appleton Fire Department in 86 years.
