Police seek security footage, tips while investigating car shooting in ‘very quiet neighborhood’

MMSD offers support to families involved

Madalyn O'Neill by Madalyn O'Neill

MADISON, Wis. – Police are searching for potential suspects after a parent and child were shot in their car on Madison’s east side Wednesday morning.

According to Madison Police Department public information officer Joel DeSpain, a car with a parent and two children was stopped at an intersection at North Lawn Avenue and Dahle Street when a passenger from another car got out and shot several times at them.

“In this case, we had bullets going directly into this car,” DeSpain said. “So reckless disregard for the adult obviously, but also two children.”

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Tim Powers, a neighborhood resident since 1962, said he heard about six shots at 6:51 a.m. Wednesday morning.

“(It put me) kind of on edge. A little too close to home,” Powers said, adding that the neighborhood is usually quiet.

“The neighbors we have here are all a good bunch of people,” he said. “I really honestly don’t think it has anything to do with our neighborhood.”

“This is a very quiet neighborhood,” DeSpain said. “We had multiple calls coming into the 911 center from concerned residents.”

At this point, DeSpain said detectives believe the shooting was targeted. The situation prompted a response from the Madison Metropolitan School District.

“Knowing that it could be a targeted situation, we felt it in the best interest and safety of our schools to go into a lockout in those schools connected with the students involved,” said MMSD public information officer Tim LeMonds.

LeMonds said a few district students were connected to the shooting in some way, may it be as a victim or witnesses.

La Follette High School, East High School, Sellet Middle School and Nuestro Mundo Community School were on lockout for about a half hour in the morning — a precautionary lockdown put in place when there’s a perceived threat off school grounds, although LeMonds said no school was ever threatened directly.

“Some of the students involved, witnessed and were part of and were victim, of definitely a trauma today,” LeMonds said, adding that the district has been in close contact with police and will provide support for families involved.

Police said the two victims are expected to be OK.

“We’re very, very fortunate at this point it’s not a homicide,” DeSpain said.

Police are investigating the shooting as first-degree attempted homicide and are still seeking the getaway car, suspects and a potential motive. They ask anyone in the area who may have seen something or any residents who have security footage to call Madison Area Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014.

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