Source: Whitmer, McConnell, Evers were possible targets of Wis. gunman

A gunman suspected of fatally shooting a retired county judge at a Wisconsin home had a list that included Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, Ms. Whitmer’s office and a law enforcement source said Saturday.

Douglas K. Uhde, 56, who has not been charged, is suspected of killing retired Juneau County Judge John Roemer at Judge Roemer’s house in New Lisbon on Friday, the Wisconsin Department of Justice said in a news release Saturday.

Uhde was found in the basement of the home with a self- inflicted gunshot wound, following attempts by police to negotiate with him. Uhde is hospitalized in critical condition, DOJ officials said.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul on Friday said the shooting appeared to be a “targeted act” and that the gunman had selected people who were “part of the judicial system.”

But investigators believe the gunman also may have planned to target other government officials and found a list in his vehicle that contained the names of several other prominent elected leaders, a law enforcement official said. The other targets on the list, which mentioned Judge Roemer, included Mr. Evers, Mr. McConnell and Ms. Whitmer,the official said.

Judge Roemer was found zip-tied to a chair in his home and had been fatally shot, the official said.

Uhde has an extensive criminal and prison record dating back at least two decades, including a case when he was sentenced by Judge Roemer to six years in prison on weapons charges. He was released from his last prison stint in April 2020.

Zach Pohl, Ms. Whitmer’s deputy chief of staff, said her office was notified that her name appeared “on the Wisconsin gunman’s list.”

Ms. Whitmer became the object of protests and criticism after she blamed former President Donald Trump for stoking anger over COVID-19 restrictions and refusing to condemn right-wing extremists.

Atrial held earlier this year in which four men accused in an alleged kidnapping plot of the Michigan Democrat resultedin the acquittal of two of the men. The jury could not reacha unanimous verdict for theother two.