Shooter Sought Refuge With Friend's Family: Calm and Lucid

Oct 09, 02:12 AM

Current Headlines: By Raquel Rutledge, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Oct. 9--Tyler Peterson showed up at Mike Kegley's door at 7:30 Sunday morning as the rest of Crandon awoke to the grisly news of a mass slaying.

With blood on his pants, his semiautomatic rifle in hand and pistol under the back of his shirt, Peterson started talking about how he lost control. How he went to his on-again, off-again girlfriend's house in the middle of the night and instead of patching up their relationship, argued with her. How others, gathered at her home for a movie-and-pizza party, called him a "worthless pig."

The Forest County sheriff's deputy and part-time Crandon police officer said he was sorry, that he had just "lost it." He'd shot seven of his friends, including two of his best childhood buddies.

Kegley's wife, Mary, discreetly called 911. She and her son, a lifelong friend of Peterson's, coaxed the work-issued assault rifle he had proudly shown off just days earlier from his hand. He wouldn't part with his police-issued pistol, though.

He assured the Kegleys he wouldn't hurt them.

After talking with the Kegleys for a little while, Peterson said he wanted to see his mom and his grandmother. He arranged to meet them on a rural highway.

He promised the Kegleys he'd come right back, and then left, pistol still down the back of his pants.

Kegley thought about taking his family and leaving, but his son refused.

"He wanted to be his friend and try to help," Kegley said.

So Kegley hid several guns around his property, just in case he needed them to defend himself.

Again, they called 911.

About an hour later, Kegley estimated, Peterson returned to the house. He said he had met with his mom and grandmother and that his mom spoke softly to him.

"She told him she loved him, no matter what happened," Kegley said.

Peterson said he had called all the victims' families to say how sorry he was. He talked about what he should do, how he would surrender only to his boss, Crandon Police Chief John Dennee, and how he wanted to speak with District Attorney Leon Stenz.

The Kegleys again quietly called 911.

Mary Kegley arranged for Peterson to speak with an attorney. She fed him and gave him coffee.

Mike Kegley talked with him about school, life on the police force.

"Every time we started talking about what happened, he got kind of hyper," Kegley said.

But otherwise he was fairly calm and lucid and didn't seem to be afraid.

"He wasn't running around crazy or anything," Kegley said. "He was very, very sorry for what he did."

Kegley owns a construction and roofing company housed on his property. Three of his workers were at the house, and as Peterson lingered, they called 911 "as many as 20 times," Kegley said.

Sometime around 10:30 a.m. when there was still no apparent sign of police, Mike Kegley left the house to "find out where the hell they were," he said.

His wife followed him a little while later. His son still refused to leave.

Kegley met up with law enforcement agents down the road from his home, drew them maps of his property, the buildings and where Peterson had been talking to his son. Kegley and his wife were told they could not return to the house.

Law enforcement agents, by the dozens, fanned out around his property -- but apparently made no attempt to actually get Peterson.

Authorities said Monday they established contact with Peterson, and Dennee did talk to him.

At some point, Peterson climbed into the back of his pickup truck and went to sleep.

Kegley's workers again called 911. Still no law enforcement officers tried to apprehend him.

Kegley said his workers estimated Peterson slept for about 45 minutes and then was awakened by a call from Stenz, the district attorney.

Stenz said the two talked for five to 10 minutes about a possible surrender. Stenz wouldn't discuss specifics, but said he anticipated talking to Peterson again.

After the call, around 2 p.m. by Kegley's estimation, Peterson walked off toward the woods. He didn't say anything to Kegley's son or any of the workers nearby, Kegley said.

He got about 50 yards from the house and gunfire erupted.

Kegley said he heard the gunfire from down the road, but that authorities wouldn't tell him what had happened or whether his son was safe.

He and his wife waited, hysterical, for an hour before they told him in a roundabout way that their son was alive.

Peterson was dead.

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