Sheriff’s Department Issues Statement on Death Investigation

The Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department has released information on the death investigation of 44 year old Gregg Marcotte of Shullsburg. On February 12, Sheriff’s Deputies, assisted by a Darlington Police Department Officer, responded to the City of Shullsburg, for a report of a man acting erratically and yelling profanities on West Water Street. This incident resulted in the death of Marcotte while in custody of law enforcement. This incident surrounding the death of Marcotte, and the actions of the Law Enforcement Officers who responded, has been investigated by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation. All evidence, reports, witness statements and video recordings, consisting of body camera, squad car camera, business camera video recordings as well as video recordings provided by witnesses, has been reviewed by the Lafayette County District Attorney’s Office. After careful consideration of the evidence provided in this case and the circumstances surrounding the incident, it was determined that there was no evidence that a crime was committed by any of the responding law enforcement officers. Therefore, no charges shall be filed in this matter. Lafayette County District Attorney, Jenna Gill, announced that “the action of law enforcement officers on February 12, 2024 were lawful and reasonable acts of defense of self and others.” The facts provided through the investigation of this matter demonstrate that all law enforcement personnel acted in a manner consistent with the law and consistent with their training as law enforcement officers. The officers involved have all returned to normal assigned duties within their respective agencies after having been placed on administrative leave, pending the investigation of the incident, which is required by agency policy.