Investigators in Rusk County are trying to piece together what happened in the moments leading up to the fatal shooting of a sheriff's deputy.

Deputy Dan Glaze was shot and killed at around 11 p.m. Saturday evening. He was 33 years old.

Doug Nitek, of Conrath, was arrested Sunday morning and is currently in custody, accused of Glaze's murder.

According to the Rusk County Sheriff's Department, Glaze was responding to a call about a suspicious vehicle in a field when he was shot.

That field was located next to Nitek's home, 10 miles south of Ladysmith.

The department says Glaze called for backup and wasn't heard from again.

When backup arrived, the responding officers found Glaze shot to death inside his law enforcement vehicle.

Nitek left the scene, and officers searched for him through the night. The manhunt ended Sunday morning at around 10:15 when law enforcement sent a robot into Nitek's home, and Nitek fired one shot at deputies before he surrendered.

"He's alive and in custody. He was taken to an area jail," explained Rusk County Sheriff Jeff Wallace.

A motive has yet to be determined.

Wallace says Glaze was a seven-year veteran in law enforcement and had been with the Rusk County Sheriff's Department for the past year and a half.

Locals say Glaze was well-respected by not only his colleagues, but by the community he worked to protect.

"I didn't know the officer personally, but I've had the opportunity to talk with a young woman who was arrested on drug charges, and she told me just how kind this young man was. He went out of his way to talk to her a little bit and try to encourage her to take the opportunity to make different choices in her life," says Geralynne Berg, of Ladysmith.

Rusk County, with just under 15,000 people, is tight-knit. Some say this tragedy will affect the surrounding area for years to come.

"We're all living in small towns, small villages and are very close to each other, so when something like this happens, it hits hard," adds Berg.

"It's troublesome. It's hard. We're a small community; we've been impacted greatly. We're all mourning the loss of what's happened here in the last 24 hours and I think that as a community, we need to stand strong and protect those who protect us," says Jessa Thorpe, also of Ladysmith.

Charges against Nitek are now pending. There's no word yet on when he'll make his first court appearance.

BARRON, Wis. (NEWS RELEASE) -- On (Sunday) October 30, 2016 at 10:18am while deploying the Eau Claire County Regional Robot to search a residence at the scene of the incident for the suspect, Doug Nitek, deputies were fired upon 1 time before the suspect, Mr. Nitek, surrendered without further incident.

Mr. Nitek remains in custody in an area jail awaiting formal charges.

The Rusk County Sheriff’s Department wishes to thank everyone, especially all the local law enforcement that assisted them during this tragedy.

The deputy that was killed in the line of duty was 33 yr old Deputy Dan Glaze, a 7 year veteran in law enforcement with the last 1 ½ years with the Rusk County Sheriff’s Department.

Please keep the family of the fallen officer and the men and women of the Rusk County Sheriff’s Department in your prayers.

Per, Jeff Wallace Rusk County Sheriff

TOWN OF WILLARD, Wis. (WEAU) -- Crews from several counties have converged on a rural road south of Ladysmith as the search continues for a man suspected of shooting and killing a sheriff's deputy.

Investigators are looking for Doug Nitek, 43. When asked if the scene on Broken Arrow Road, south of Ladysmith, was active Sunday morning, Rusk County Sheriff Jeff Wallace said "very much so." The sheriff said his department received a report of a suspicious vehicle, and a deputy went to look into it.

"Reported a vehicle in the field," Sheriff Wallace said. "That's the last contact we had. Upon backup arriving, we found our deputy deceased in the vehicle from a gunshot wound."

Around 10:30 a.m. Sunday, a WEAU 13 News reporter saw a vehicle labeled "Dunn County Tactical Rescue Vehicle" going to the scene. Our reporter has also seen a plane circling the scene. Investigators had not found Nitek as of 11 a.m. Sunday.

"We believe he'd be armed and dangerous," Sheriff Wallace said. He said he may identify the deputy later Sunday, as the department wants to make sure that person's family has been notified.

If you have information on Nitek's whereabouts, you're asked to call 911.

RUSK COUNTY, Wis. (WEAU) -- A Rusk County Sheriff's deputy was shot and killed after responding to a call about a suspicious vehicle in Rusk County and the suspect remains at large.

A Rusk County Sheriff's deputy responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle on Broken Arrow Road east of Highway 27 just south of Ladysmith around 10:55 p.m. Saturday night. He radioed back to the department that he had found the vehicle in the field.

Dispatch lost contact with the deputy and when backup arrived minutes later, they found the deputy had been shot and killed.

Anyone with information on the location of a suspect, Doug Nitek, 43, should call 911. The sheriff's department considers the man armed and dangerous. The suspect remains at large.

The sheriff's department would like everyone to keep the family of the fallen officer and the men and women of the Rusk County Sheriff's Department in your prayers.

The name of the deputy is not being released at this time.

On the scene along with the Rusk County Sheriff's Department were the Ladysmith and Rice Lake Police Departments, the Barron, Washburn, Sawyer, and Eau Claire County Swat Teams, and the Wisconsin DNR.

Autoplay Caption