On the evening of December 18, 2016, a 22-year-old Caucasian male named Jason Laack was killed at the Cattail Lodge on New Pinery Road in Portage, Wisconsin. The incident that led to his death began as a drug transaction that went horribly wrong. Laack was at the location with his sister and an acquaintance, Isaac Breedlove, when two men arrived, purportedly to purchase marijuana from Laack.
The situation quickly escalated into a violent confrontation. One of the men, an acquaintance of the primary suspect, attempted to shoot Isaac Breedlove, but his firearm malfunctioned. At this critical moment, Jason Laack acted to shield Breedlove from harm. The accomplice then handed the weapon to Mario Brown Jr., who proceeded to shoot Laack. While Breedlove and Laack's sister managed to escape the apartment and call for emergency services, Laack was left fatally wounded. Responding officers discovered him on the ground with a fatal gunshot wound. The shooting was later described by law enforcement as a "targeted" event.
The primary suspect, 24-year-old Mario Brown Jr. of McFarland, had a history of violent felony convictions. He was identified through his enrollment in a community re-entry program for former inmates. The day after the shooting, Brown turned himself in to the police in Madison. He was subsequently charged with first-degree intentional homicide. Ultimately, Brown pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of second-degree reckless homicide and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, consisting of 10 years of imprisonment followed by 10 years of extended supervision.
Authorities also sought a second suspect, described as a Black male in his early 20s, with short dreadlocks, who was with Brown at the time of the shooting. This individual was considered armed and dangerous, and the search for him continued as part of the ongoing investigation. The tragic event also brought additional distress to Laack's family, as there was a delay in the release of his body by the Columbia County District Attorney's Office to allow for review by the defense. His body was eventually released to his family in April 2017.
