Brown County Sheriff's Office addresses gun incident at Bellevue Walmart
Lt. John Bain answers media questions about a report of a man with a gun at Bellevue Walmart on June 19, 2021.
Sarah Kloepping, Green Bay Press-Gazette
BELLEVUE – Sheriff's deputies continued late Monday afternoon to try to contact the man who took a holstered handgun into the Main Street Walmart that morning, prompting a store employee to call 911.
Witnesses in the store described that man as "upset," but he did not fire his gun or offer any indication he intended to, Brown County Sheriff's Lt. John Bain said at a morning media briefing.
The man left the store. Law enforcement officials said they want to question the man, but said it was too early to tell if he violated any laws.
He "did not show any intentions of an active shooter" and authorities don't think he was a threat, Bain said at a news briefing outside the nearby Fleet Farm store, where the sheriff's office conducted media interviews. The man is believed to have been at Walmart to cash a check, Bain said.
Sheriff's officials said they had identified the man from store video, but had yet to interview him, sheriff's Capt. Dave Poteat said in a news release shortly after 5 p.m.
"This incident is under investigation," he said. "What is clear is that no weapon
was pointed or drawn from its holster, and the public is not in danger."
The sheriff's office received a call at 10:18 a.m. about a man with a gun who was in Walmart and was upset.
The store, at 2292 Main St., was reopened by 10:50 a.m.
“The safety of our customers and associates is a top priority. One of our associates perceived a threat from the customer and law enforcement was contacted," Walmart said in a statement Monday.
Wisconsin law allows people with permits to carry concealed weapons. Walmart says on its website that it follows local and state laws related to concealed carry permits.
In August 2019, a gunman opened fire in an El Paso, Texas, Walmart, leaving 23 dead in a racially motivated attack. The following month, Walmart implemented a policy requesting that customers not openly carry firearms on the company's property, regardless of the law.
When sheriff's officials received the report of the armed man, they issued an alert for people to avoid the area because of a "weapons situation."
Sheriff's officials said at the morning news briefing that they hoped to release a description of the man within "two to three hours." But no description had been released as of 4:55 p.m.
Contact Jake Prinsen at jprinsen@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PrinsenJake. Contact Doug Schneider at (920) 431-8333, or DSchneid@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PGDougSchneider
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