A Washington County sheriff's commander is recovering at Regions Hospital in St. Paul after being shot Tuesday morning while scouting for turkey hunting locations in western Wisconsin.
Jerry Cusick, whose duties include being in charge of courthouse security, was shot once with a shotgun by a turkey hunter shortly before 7:30 a.m. just outside the village of Somerset, Wis., according to the St. Croix County Sheriff's Office.
Washington County Sheriff Bill Hutton said Cusick, 53, of Stillwater, was hiking the area alone and wasn't carrying a gun. An avid hunter, Cusick was making preparations for where he would be hunting in the coming days. Wisconsin's spring turkey season is divided into time frames, with a limited number of licenses issued for each period. One period ended Tuesday, with another to begin Wednesday.
Hutton, who was with Cusick and his wife at the hospital Tuesday morning, said he appeared to be doing well and was undergoing tests. Shotgun pellets traveling in the body can pose serious health dangers. "Whenever you're shot, you just never know what might happen," Hutton said.
Cusick is a 28-year veteran with the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
The shooting is under investigation by the St. Croix County Sheriff's Office and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Jim Anderson • 651-925-5039
Twitter: @StribJAnderson
