In what began as a domestic dispute, a tragic chain of events unfolded in the Wausau area on March 22, 2017, culminating in the death of 62-year-old Karen Lynn Chyna Barclay and three others. A loving mother and grandmother, Karen was known as a kind and gentle soul, deeply dedicated to her work at Marathon Savings Bank in Rothschild, Wisconsin, where she had been employed for over five years.
On that Wednesday afternoon, around 1:30 p.m., a 45-year-old man from the Village of Weston initiated a violent rampage that spanned multiple locations. The man, whose actions were reportedly motivated by a domestic incident and not a bank robbery, first targeted the Marathon Savings Bank. It was there that he shot and killed Karen Barclay and another civilian. The violence did not end there; the suspect then proceeded to a law office in Schofield, where he claimed another life.
The horrifying spree continued as the suspect barricaded himself inside an apartment in Weston. Law enforcement negotiators attempted to de-escalate the situation for several hours. Ultimately, an exchange of gunfire occurred between the suspect and officers from the Marathon County Sheriff's Office tactical team and the Everest Metropolitan Police Department. The suspect sustained nonfatal gunshot wounds during the confrontation and was subsequently taken into police custody at a local hospital. Following the incident, the involved officers were placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation.
