BARRON COUNTY (DrydenWire)- A criminal complaint filed in Barron County Circuit Court contains additional details regarding the recent incident in Rice Lake, WI, that led to school and business lockdowns due to reports of a possible active shooter.
Two men are facing criminal charges: Alexander Wuorenma, age 21, of Shell Lake, WI (picuted left), and Dante Smith, age 19, of Cumberland, WI (pictured right).
- Related: Join Ben Dryden and Sheriff Fitzgerald for a Community Conversation on Rice Lake Lockdown Incident
On September 19, 2024, just after 6:30p, Barron County Dispatch received reports of multiple gunshots near the Walmart store, which is located at 2701 West Avenue in the City of Rice Lake.
Multiple officers and deputies from six different law enforcement agencies responded to the call, however, did not locate any type of person with a firearm.
Walmart and surrounding businesses were placed in lockdown mode until the officers could ascertain whether there was an active shooter present in the area.
While speaking with Walmart employees, an Officer heard what sounded like multiple gunshots coming from southeast of where he was at.
Barron County Dispatch received a report of a possible shooting near Hilltop Elementary, which is located at 202 Cameron Road in the City of Rice Lake.
A Rice Lake Police Officer spoke with civilians coming from the Rice Lake Middle School, which is connected to Hilltop Elementary School. One male told the Officer that he heard what he believed to be gunshots coming from a black four-door car.
Officers who arrived on the scene at the middle school area on Allen Street observed a panic with many of the people in the area. A middle school football game was in session at the time the gunshots were reported. People were running away from the scene and screaming. Cars were pulled off to the sides of the roadway. Parents were rushing children to their vehicles.
The Rice Lake superintendent later spoke with law enforcement and described the situation at the middle school the previous night. He said he was outside near the middle school football field when he heard what he believed to be gunshots. The superintendent described coaches jumping on top of players to protect them, and trying to get everyone on the ground. He described parents crying and in hysteria.
The superintendent stated that this incident caused massive chaos and panic at the school. Rice Lake High School and Middle School were both placed in lockdown, according to the press release issued by the Rice Lake Police Department.
A short time after that, the Officer heard radio traffic regarding the possibility of more shots being fired near T-Mobile, which is located at 2751 West Avenue in the City of Rice Lake.
The suspect vehicle was subsequently located on West Avenue in the City of Rice Lake and stopped. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Alexander Wuorenma, age 21, of Shell Lake, WI. Two male passengers were also in the vehicle. One was identified as Dante Smith, age 19, of Cumberland, WI. No criminal charges from this incident were located in online court records for the second passenger, so DrydenWire has chosen to not include his name in this post.
At the scene where Wuorenma’s vehicle was located, the engine of the vehicle was operated to determine if it would make a sound similar to a gunshot. As this was done, Officers heard the vehicle backfire approximately five times, and each time it sounded like a gunshot.
Wuorenma was interviewed by law enforcement. The criminal complaint states that Wuorenma said he was driving his vehicle and that it does backfire, and when it does so it, it backfires numerous times and not just once, even when he “drives the car normal.”
He said that they had gone to a smoke shop in Rice Lake and that he saw all sorts of police cars in the area, but denied knowing why the police cars were there. When asked if he spoke with any employees of the smoke shop regarding the police presence, Wuorenma indicated that he didn’t hear anything like that from anybody in the smoke shop.
When Smith was interviewed, he stated they came to Rice Lake, WI, in Wuorenma’s car, went to the vape shop, and then to a friend’s house near Tipsy Tavern.
When Mr. Smith was asked if the car backfired at all while they were in the area of Walmart, he indicated that it did and that Wuorenma was revving it on purpose to make it backfire, as they think it’s fun and it frequently happens.
Smith said that when the car backfired near Walmart, it was multiple pops and not just one pop. As they were pulling into the vape shop, Wuorenma “rev bombed” the car to make it backfire.
Smith confirmed that they went into the smoke shop and while they were in there, he thought it might be Wuorenma’s car that was the reason the cops were in the area, as opposed to any type of active shooter.
While on the way to the area of Tipsy Tavern, Smith stated it was probably Wuorenma’s car that was the reason the police were in the area, and they were “f*cking around and laughing” and Wuorenma revved the car again on the way to Tipsy Tavern underneath the Highway 53 Bridge on South Access Road.
Smith went on to say, they returned to the smoke shop to get Wuorenma’s phone, and while on the way there, Wuorenma revved the car again near the football field.
All three of those locations were locations where the Barron County Dispatch received calls concerning gunshots.
Smith allegedly confirmed that the car popped three different times, and all three times Wuorenma had put the car in neutral so he could do that.
Smith said he spoke to a female while they were at the smoke shop who had indicated there was a possibility of some type of active shooter. Smith told the female it was probably Wuorenma’s car, and the female said they should probably tell that to the police.
Smith said he responded “nah,” instead of telling the police that it was Wuorenma’s car that was making the noises that sounded like gunshots.
Smith allegedly confirmed that he was telling Wuorenma to rev the car through the entire trip because it was fun, and he said he didn’t think people would actually think it was gunfire.
Smith allegedly admitted he knew the car sounded like gunshots, however, he didn’t think it was that loud.
When asked why they were revving the car up two additional times after seeing multiple squad cars and hearing reports of a possible shooter, knowing that the car could be the reason for the response, Smith stated he didn’t have an answer for that, and he allegedly said that it may have crossed their minds that they were causing the chaos that he was seeing.
After speaking with Smith, Officers interviewed Wuorenma again. Wuorenma then said that he knew his car makes popping sounds, but he didn’t know what it sounded like from the outside. He went on to say that he didn’t know people would interpret it as gunfire until today.
Wuorenma said that after they made it backfire under the bridge by Highway 53, one of his passengers said that it sounded like gunfire.
Wuorenma confirmed that the female in the smoke shop had asked if his car backfired, and he said it did. She told him he should go tell the police that so they would know, and Wuorenma indicated that he didn’t do that because he didn’t want to get involved.
Wuorenma denied doing it on purpose near the football field by the elementary school.
Officers also located and spoke with the female who had been at the vape store known as Tobacco Village which is in the strip mall near Walmart. She indicated that she had observed three younger male customers inside the store at that time. She observed that they were laughing and made a comment about all the police showing up just because of their car exhaust.
The female said she told the three of them to notify the police that it was just their car that caused this, however, one of the three said that they would not do that, and one of them simply said something along the lines of “just keep letting them think it was gunshots.”
Wuorenma is charged with three counts of Misdemeanor Disorderly Conduct. Smith is also charged with three counts of Misdemeanor Disorderly Conduct, as a Party to a Crime.
Online court records show that both Smith and Wuorenma appeared for court hearings on September 20, 2024, while in custody. The Hon. Judge James Babler ordered $2,500 signature bonds for each of them. They are both scheduled to appear again on September 25, 2024.
Pursuant to the direction of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, as found in Supreme Court Rule 20:3.6, Trial Publicly, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Last Update: Sep 21, 2024 10:16 am CDT
