Trevor Casper

Trevor Casper Wisconsin State Trooper
Born	May 21, 1993 Sheboygan, Wisconsin, United States
Died	March 24, 2015 (age 21) Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Website	www.troopercasper.org
Police career
Current status	Deceased
Department	Wisconsin State Patrol
Badge number	2605[1]
Years of service	3 months
Rank	Trooper

Trevor Casper (May 21, 1993 – March 24, 2015) was a state trooper for the Wisconsin State Patrol. On his first solo assignment in uniform,^[2] Trooper Casper was shot and killed^[3] in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin while attempting to apprehend a bank robbery and murder suspect on March 24, 2015.^[4]

He was the youngest police officer killed in the line of duty in Wisconsin history ^[5] and the youngest sworn member of the Wisconsin State Patrol.^[6]

Early life and career

Casper was born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and later moved to Kiel with his family where he was a 2011 graduate of Kiel High School and was on the school's soccer and wrestling teams. He studied at Lakeshore Technical College in Cleveland, Wisconsin where he graduated in May 2014 with a degree in criminal justice.^[7] During his time in college, he was the student government President and active in the color guard.^[8]

Casper began his training to become a Wisconsin State Trooper at the Wisconsin State Patrol Academy located at Fort McCoy on July 13, 2014. Troopers generally patrol highways to enforce traffic safety and criminal laws. In December of that year, Casper along with 46 other cadets were sworn in as troopers during a graduation ceremony.^[9]

Death

The suspect, Steven Snyder, was believed to have robbed a bank in Wausaukee, Wisconsin earlier in the day on March 24, 2015. Approximately one hour after the bank robbery, Snyder abandoned the vehicle he was driving, shot dead a 59-year-old man named Thomas Christ,^[10] and stole his second vehicle.

Casper located the second vehicle as it was being driven southbound on Interstate 41 in Fond du Lac and began following it. He was directing other officers to their location when Snyder pulled into a grocery store parking lot and stopped. Snyder discharged nine 5.7mm shots from an FN Five-seven pistol at Casper, who was hit by three rounds in the face, chest, and hand. Casper, though mortally wounded, was able to return fire. He discharged 12 .40-caliber rounds from his Glock duty weapon, and struck Snyder once in the chest, fatally wounding him. Casper was pronounced dead en-route to the hospital.

Funeral services for Casper were held on March 29, 2015 at the Kiel High School.^[11] Thousands took part in the visitation including police officers from across the country.^[12] A private burial followed on Monday, March 30 at SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Cemetery in Kiel. Minutes into the burial, police officers providing security at the cemetery noticed a 56-year-old man from Kiel walk past the cemetery borders carrying a bag with a protruding unknown object.^[13] Officers approached the man, questioned him and attempted to escort him from the cemetery to avoid disrupting Casper’s burial service. The man became verbally abusive and resisted officers. Officers had to use physical force to take him into custody and remove him from the scene.^[14]

A memorial fund, Benefit for Wisconsin Trooper Trevor Casper has been established for Casper.^[15][16] $42,550 was raised since March 25, 2015.^[17]

Casper will be honored at the 2016 police memorial ceremonies in Madison, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C. for officers killed in the line of duty.^[18]

It was announced on July 12, 2016 that Trooper Casper would be inducted into the State of Wisconsin Fire & Police Hall of Fame.^[19] The Fire and Police Hall of Fame, established under Wisconsin Statute ^[20] was created to honor the heroic deeds, lifetime achievements, and community service efforts of firefighters and police officers in Wisconsin. Although Trooper Casper made the ultimate sacrifice in the course of his act of heroism, the Hall of Fame motto is that "someone doesn't have to die to be a hero." Trooper Casper will be inducted at the 2016 Induction Ceremony in Superior, Wisconsin.^[21]

The suspect

Police confirmed 38-year-old Steven Timothy Snyder^[22] from Michigan shot and killed Casper in the shootout. Snyder was also killed in the exchange of gunfire. In 1996, a 19-year-old Snyder was a member of a white supremacy group that called itself "The Fond du Lac Boot Boys." Snyder and eight others were arrested after a fight broke out involving skinheads, blacks and Hispanics outside a Fond du Lac house.^[23] After Snyder pleaded no contest to a charge of disorderly conduct, a Fond du Lac County Circuit Court Judge ordered that he serve a 50-day jail sentence.

Response and reactions

The Fond du Lac Reporter first broke news of an officer down on its website followed by live-tweeting of the incident. Before the shooting involving Casper, the Fond du Lac Police Department was investigating a bank robbery just blocks away. There was a stunned reaction to the shooting of Casper across the state. The following day, Governor Scott Walker issued this statement:^[24] "Trooper Trevor Casper was killed while bravely serving his community and doing his duty to keep our citizens safe. Tonette and I are praying for Trooper Casper's family and our thoughts are with them and the broader law enforcement community at this difficult time." A number of elected officials issued statements on Casper's death including Congressman Glenn Grothman^[25] and U.S. senator Ron Johnson.^[26]

References

External links

• Wisconsin State Trooper Trevor Casper Funeral Procession