Oconto Falls Police Officer Shot During Call Response

A shooting incident in the City of Oconto Falls at about 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 6 resulted in the hospitalization of City of Oconto Falls police officer and jailing of 29-year-old woman believed to have fired the shot.

According to a report from the office of Oconto County Sheriff Todd Skarban, on August 6 at approximately 10:30 a.m., the Oconto Falls Police Department and the Oconto County Sheriff’s Office responded to an incident in the city of Oconto Falls involving a Law Enforcement Officer that sustained a gunshot wound. This is an isolated incident, the suspect is in custody and there is no threat to the public.  The Law Enforcement Officer was transported to a Green Bay area hospital. Name of the Police Officer has not been released. 

The Oconto Falls Police Department  had been dispatched to the 100 block of Elm Ave in the City of Oconto Falls for several 911 hang up calls. Upon arrival, the Oconto Falls police officer made contact with the caller. The Oconto County Emergency Dispatch Center was notified of the Officer sustaining a gunshot wound. Several agencies responded to the scene, including the Oconto County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin State Patrol, Gillett Police Department, Oconto Police Department, Oconto County Emergency Management and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.  

The suspect, a 29 year old female from Oconto Falls, later identified as Alisha Kocken, was arrested and transported to the Oconto County Jail. A charge of First Degree Attempted Homicide against Kocken was referred to the Oconto County District Attorney. Ultimately she was charged with nine offenses, six of them felonies.

The wounded officer was transported to St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay, where she was treated and later reported to be in stable condition. She  was released over the weekend. 

Charges against Kocken include Attempted First Degree Intentional Homicide, First Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety, Use of a Dangerous Weapon; Resisting an Officer; Causing a Soft Tissue Injury to Officer, Use of a Dangerous Weapon; Battery to a Law Enforcement Officer, use of a Dangerous Weapon; Aggravated Battery, Use of a Dangerous Weapon; Disarming a Peace Officer; Intentionally Pointing a Firearm at Another; Discharge of a Firearm Within 100 Yards of a Building, and Disorderly Conduct, Use of a Dangerous Weapon.

According to the reports, the female Oconto Falls officer had gone to Kocken’s residence in the 100 block of Elm Avenue in Oconto Falls in response to several hang-up calls to 911.

Reports are that dispatch received calls from a woman who stated someone was trying to kidnap her child and then hung up. Dispatch  reportedly stated that the caller wasn’t providing proper details, and the information that was given seemed suspicious.

The female officer then went to the apartment to investigate the 911 calls, and the door was opened by Kocken. Documents state Kocken’s child was in the apartment, as well as another person, identified as JLW. Kocken reportedly talked about attempts to kidnap her child. 

The child eventually left the apartment with a neighbor, and JLW, identified as Kocken’s boy friend, also left.

When Kocken came out of her apartment the officer tried to calm her, and that reportedly is when Kocken turned around and tried to aggressively lunge at the officer, who was able to remove her “Taser.” The officer’s attempt to use the taser appeared not to change Kocken’s behavior, and Kocken reportedly then grabbed the officer’s hair, pulling her to her knees in front of Kocken.

The struggle continued, and eventually the officer realized her 9mm duty handgun was missing from its holster, and that Kocken had taken it. 

According to the complaint, the officer then said she heard two gunshots, and then felt a third shot hit her head. The officer ran from the scene after determining Kocken had her back toward her. She didn’t know the extent of her injuries, but realized due to the amount of blood coming from her injury that she was not in a condition to attempt to arrest Kocken.

The wounded officer  was able to drive her squad vehicle to the home of an off-duty Oconto County Sheriff’s Office deputy, who provided some medical attention.

Eventually, other officers arrived at the apartment complex where Kocken lived and were able to take her into custody. She was reportedly “combative” while being arrested.

There is reportedly a digital recording of the incident in  which Kocken is heard screaming, “I’ll kill you.”

Although formal charges were filed on Tuesday, Aug. 10,  on-line court records do not show a future court date for Kocken as of this publishing.

This was an isolated incident and there is no further threat to the public, according to Sheriff Skarban. The matter remains under investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation and the Oconto County Sheriff’s Office.  

“Chief Olsen and I would like to offer sincere thanks to the Oconto County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center, Patrol and Investigation Divisions, the Jail Division, as well as the Oconto Falls Police Department Green Bay Police Department, Shawano County Sheriff’s Office, Brown County Sheriff’s Office, Marinette County Sheriff’s Office, the Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin DNR, Gillett Police Department, Oconto Police Department, the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigations as well as the Oconto Falls Area Ambulance, Eagle III and the Oconto Falls Fire Department,” Skarban said in the Aug. 6 news release.

“We also want to thank our community and our brothers and sisters of Law Enforcement for all of the messages and support. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Officer as we hope for a speedy recovery. God was on our side today,” Skarban concluded.