Sheriff Investigating Death in Township of Kennan After Two

Last updated: October 2026

Quick Answer: The Price County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a death in the Township of Kennan after a reported shooting late Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. A 911 caller at about 10:51 p.m. reported that a man had shot and injured another person at a residence near County Road N and Big Falls Road, then left. A second call reported the same man causing a disturbance at another location. When officers arrived, the man was found deceased, according to Sheriff Brian Schmidt. Authorities say there is no known threat to the community, and the investigation is ongoing.

What happened, according to the sheriff’s office

The Sheriff’s Office released details in a press release dated Oct. 5, 2026. The sequence it describes runs from a single residence to a second location, all within a span of time on Sunday night.

The first 911 call came in at approximately 10:51 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4. The caller reported that a man had shot and injured another individual and then left the residence.

A second 911 call followed. It reported that the same man was at another location, causing a disturbance.

When officers arrived on the scene, the man was found deceased, the release states.

Deputies have not said how or where the man died, or what connected the two locations. Those details are part of the ongoing investigation.

Where the investigation is centered

The Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is centered in the area of County Road N and Big Falls Road in the Township of Kennan. That is a rural stretch of Price County roughly midway between the village of Kennan and the county’s eastern edge.

Kennan itself is a former rail town on Wisconsin Highway 13, between Phillips and Prentice. The village counted 143 residents in the 2020 Census and is one of three incorporated villages in Price County. The surrounding Town of Kennan is a separate municipality, and it is the town — not the village — that the Sheriff’s Office named in its release.

Who responded

The Sheriff’s Office listed the agencies that assisted with the call:

Phillips Police Department
Price County Coroner
Price County Health and Human Services
Prentice Ambulance Service
Central Price County Ambulance Service

The presence of the coroner and the two ambulance services reflects the two-part nature of the call: one reported injury and one reported death. Health and Human Services involvement is typical of Price County responses that may involve people in crisis.

What authorities have not released

The release is deliberately narrow, and several basic facts remain unconfirmed as of Monday evening:

The identity of the man found dead. No name, age, or address has been released.
The condition of the person who was shot. The release describes an injury but says nothing about that person’s outcome.
The cause and manner of death. Those findings come from the coroner and have not been announced.
What, if anything, preceded the shooting. No motive or relationship between the people involved has been described.

The Sheriff’s Office said plainly that “additional information will not be released at this time.” That is standard language while a death investigation is open, and it means the next significant public update will likely come from a charging decision, a coroner’s finding, or both.

No known threat to the community

Authorities said there is no known threat to the community. That assurance matters in a county whose 2020 population was 14,054, where a single incident can touch several townships at once. It tells residents that no one is believed to be at large in connection with the case.

Even so, the investigation is not closed. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Price County Sheriff’s Office at (715) 339-3011 or the office at 164 Cherry St., Phillips.

Why the details are still thin

Death investigations in Wisconsin move at the pace of the coroner and the district attorney, not the press release. When a person dies during a police response, the first hours are spent securing the scene, identifying the deceased, and notifying family. That groundwork happens before any public accounting of how the death occurred.

For a rural county sheriff’s office, the same deputies who respond to a homicide also cover traffic crashes, welfare checks, and civil process across 1,278 square miles. The Sheriff’s Office publishes a weekly call log, but deaths under investigation are usually held out of it until they are resolved.

That is why the details released Monday are sparse, and why the fuller story—who the man was, what led to the shooting, and how he died—is likely weeks away rather than days.

What we know, in short

What: A death investigation following a reported shooting.
Where: County Road N and Big Falls Road, Township of Kennan, Price County.
When: First 911 call at about 10:51 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026.
Who: Investigated by the Price County Sheriff’s Office under Sheriff Brian Schmidt.
Status: Ongoing. No known threat to the community.

No further information has been released. The Sheriff’s Office said it will put out more when it can.

Sources

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