Grieving Wis. sheriff recalls slain deputy: 'If you have a bad day, talk to Kaitie'

HUDSON, Wis. – A grieving Sheriff Scott Knudson said Tuesday that the killing of Deputy Kaitlin "Kaitie" R. Leising in a roadside shooting Saturday has devastated his tight-knit St. Croix County Sheriff's Office.

Leising, who is survived by her wife, Courtney, and their 3-month-old son, joined the western Wisconsin sheriff's office a year ago and had become known for her joyful spirit.

"If you have a bad day, talk to Kaitie, because your bad day is done," Knudson said. "And that was the absolute truth."

In an emotional news conference at the sheriff's office, Knudson shared some of the whirlwind of emotions he and his department have felt since Leising's killing, from confusion and anger over the gunman's actions on a seemingly routine call to gratitude for the outpouring of community support that has followed.

Knudson also took a frustrated swipe at anti-law enforcement voices, saying "those who continue to beat us down" can stir violence against officers and make it harder to bring in new recruits. "We are tired," he said. "My whole profession is tired."

Leising's death was the third fatal shooting of an on-duty law enforcement officer in the region in a month.

A graduate of Chadron High School in Chadron, Neb., Leising earned a bachelor's degree from Black Hills State University before pursuing her life's ambition to become a law enforcement officer, according to her obituary. The "small but feisty" Leising had "such a love for people, especially children, who always seemed to gravitate towards her," the obituary said. "She was always willing and eager to help others around her, even taking a special interest as a teenager to her peers that were less fortunate than her."

She married Courtney Leising in 2017, and earlier this year they welcomed their son, Syler. Kaitlin Leising worked for the Pennington County Sheriff's Office in Rapid City, S.D., for two years before moving to St. Croix County.

Leising relished the outdoors, camping, hiking, kayaking, waterskiing and playing basketball, as well as Harry Potter, watching crime shows and cheering on the Denver Broncos. Above all, she was passionate about her family, her obituary said.

"Her humor was infectious, her laugh contagious, and her loyalty for those she loved most unwavering and steadfast," it said.

A public visitation is scheduled for Friday from 9 a.m. to noon at Hudson High School, 1501 Vine St., Hudson, with the funeral immediately following at the same location and also livestreamed. A law enforcement procession will take place, with route details coming later this week, the sheriff's office added.

The night she was killed, Leising had responded to a routine call of a possible drunken driver stuck in a ditch near Glenwood City, about 60 miles east of the Twin Cities. Leising arrived and spoke face-to-face with the driver, Jeremiah D. Johnson, 34, for about eight minutes before he suddenly turned and fired a handgun, Knudson said.

Leising returned fire, shooting three times, but Johnson ran away. His body was found later in a wooded area. He had a gunshot wound, and a handgun was found near his body, authorities said. Leising was taken to a nearby hospital and died there, authorities said.

A full accounting of the shooting isn't yet publicly available because the investigation is active; body camera footage captured the shooting, according to the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

Leising's death is the first on-duty killing of a law enforcement officer in St. Croix County since Hudson police officers Clarence Erickson and Lee Murphy were shot by a robber in 1953.

Knudson said he's been grateful for the officers from neighboring jurisdictions who have stepped forward to cover patrol shifts so that his deputies can grieve. The shooting was also traumatic for the dispatchers who took the calls, the people who heard it on the radio and the firefighters and EMTs who responded, Knudson said. They knew that the shooter was on the run and perhaps nearby as they tried to save Leising's life, he said.

Knudson's staff of about 120 people, 88 of them sworn positions, have had access to counseling and debriefing sessions.

"You have to have those conversations, because that brings people together," he said. "Suffering in silence, we have to get away from that."

Along with her wife and son, Leising is survived by her parents, Kris and Roger Stevens; sister, Jordyn Stevens; grandmother, Julie Hawkinson; in-laws Beth and Dave Brehm; and sisters-in-law Morgan and Brittany Leising, according to her obituary.

The family asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be given to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Donations to the family can be made to any WESTconsin Credit Union or at the St. Croix County Sheriff's Office.

Knudson, speaking Tuesday, said he was humbled by the show of support from people who assembled on highway overpasses and along the route as a law enforcement procession on Sunday drove Leising's body from the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office to a funeral home in Baldwin, Wis.

"It was a hero's return home for her," he said.