Mitch Lundgaard was an Appleton, Wisconsin, firefighter who was shot and killed on May 15, 2019, while treating a patient for a suspected overdose at the Valley Transit Center in downtown Appleton. He was 36 years old and a 14-year veteran of the Appleton Fire Department. The gunman was the patient himself, a felon who had been released days earlier on a $500 cash bond after a judge and prosecutors were unaware of his decades-long criminal record.1Post-Crescent. Appleton Shooting Suspected Gunman Identified as Ruben Houston of Wausau
What Happened at the Valley Transit Center
Around 5:30 p.m. on May 15, 2019, Appleton fire and police personnel were dispatched to the downtown transit center after reports that a man on an arriving bus was having a seizure. A private ambulance crew and Lundgaard responded. A paramedic gave the patient, 47-year-old Ruben Houston III of Wausau, two intravenous doses of naloxone. Houston regained consciousness.2CDC/NIOSH. Career Fire Fighter Killed by Gunfire While Providing Emergency Medical Services, Report F2019-13WI
Houston refused transport to a hospital. When officers moved to pat him down for weapons, his demeanor changed. At 6:09 p.m., he pulled a concealed .380 semi-automatic handgun and opened fire. Lundgaard was struck in the back within about three seconds of the first shot. Appleton Police Officer Paul Christensen was also hit. Houston then grabbed a bystander, 30-year-old Brittany Schowalter, and used her as a shield while continuing to fire.3WBAY. Outagamie County DA Discusses Firefighter Shooting Investigation
Sergeant Christopher Biese and Officer Christensen returned fire. Houston was taken into custody and died at a hospital that night. Lundgaard was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead. Christensen was treated and released the following day. Schowalter sustained a traumatic brain injury from a gunshot wound and was released from the hospital several weeks later; investigators believed she was likely struck by police fire, though ballistic testing was inconclusive.4ABC News. Firefighter Shot and Killed Responding to Medical Call in Wisconsin5Post-Crescent. Bystander Injured in Appleton Shooting Has Been Released From Hospital
Why the Shooter Was Free That Day
Houston had a criminal record dating to 1990. He had been charged in Milwaukee County in 1991 with robbery with a dangerous weapon and in 1996 with possession of a firearm. In 2002, he was sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for possessing an unregistered firearm and was separately convicted in Milwaukee County of second-degree recklessly endangering safety and felon in possession of a weapon. In 2010, he was convicted of selling heroin, violated his federal probation, and was sentenced to an additional 18 months in federal prison. As a convicted felon, he was legally barred from possessing a firearm.1Post-Crescent. Appleton Shooting Suspected Gunman Identified as Ruben Houston of Wausau
In April 2019, Houston was charged in Fond du Lac County with possession of narcotics with intent to sell after a traffic stop. A judge initially set his bond at $5,000. On May 3, 2019, Fond du Lac County Judge Gary Sharpe reduced the bond, and Houston walked out of jail the next day after posting $500 in cash. On May 7, he was released from the Marathon County Jail on a $400 signature bond related to a separate failure-to-appear warrant on disorderly conduct charges.6WBAY. Appleton Shooter Released From Fond du Lac County Jail on Reduced Bond
Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney said at the time of the bond hearing that Houston “doesn’t have a criminal history,” because the court and prosecutors were unaware of his record. The gap was traced to a legal name change Houston obtained in 2011, when a judge allowed him to add an “o” to his surname, changing “Huston” to “Houston.” The criminal history attached to the prior name did not appear in the case files available at the bail hearing. Toney said he did not learn about the name change until about three years after the shooting, and he later advocated for state legislation requiring judges to review a person’s criminal history before approving name changes.7WISN. Wisconsin Man Free on $500 Bail Fatally Shot Appleton Firefighter in 2019
How the Officers’ Response Was Reviewed
The Green Bay Police Department led the outside investigation, as required under Wisconsin law for officer-involved shootings. Outagamie County District Attorney Melinda Tempelis concluded that Sergeant Biese and Officer Christensen “acted in an objectively reasonable manner and were justified in their use of deadly force based upon their perceived threat of imminent death or great bodily harm to themselves and others.” No criminal charges were filed against either officer.8Fox 6 Now. Prosecutors Rule Officer-Involved Shooting at Appleton Transit Center Justified
An independent National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health investigation, conducted at the fire department’s request, identified contributing factors including that a complete pat-down of Houston was never finished before he opened fire. An autopsy found methamphetamine, fentanyl, and a fentanyl metabolite in his system. The NIOSH report flagged the potential for agitation following naloxone administration and recommended written procedures for naloxone use, guidance for polydrug overdose scenes, and more detailed scene-safety training.9FireRescue1. NIOSH Releases LODD Report on Fatal Shooting of Wisconsin Firefighter During EMS Call
What Changed for Firefighters Afterward
Lundgaard’s death forced fire departments across Wisconsin to rethink how they handle medical calls involving possible overdose patients. Departments in the Fox Valley region added training focused on recognizing volatile scenes and warning signs during EMS calls. Battalion Chief Luke Pasterski of the De Pere Fire Department said crews were trained to defer to law enforcement if a patient was acting erratically or clutching personal items that could conceal weapons.10Fox 11 Online. Changes in Protocol and Training Following Shooting Death of Appleton Firefighter
The Milwaukee Fire Department and the Greenfield Fire Department announced procedural changes so that patients would be checked for weapons during overdose calls.11WISN. Firefighter’s Shooting Death Leads Departments to Procedure Change Tempelis said broader policy discussions were underway about searching patients during overdose responses, noting how often drugs and weapons are found together. The Appleton Fire Department has since reinforced its safety procedures, refined its naloxone protocols, and enhanced trauma and scene-safety assessments. Lundgaard’s case is now used in national training for emergency responders.12NBC 26. Appleton Firefighter’s Death Still Saving Lives 6 Years Later
How Lundgaard Has Been Honored
The Appleton Fire Department posthumously promoted Lundgaard to driver/engineer. In 2020, he was honored at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland; the ceremony was held virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic.13Fox 11 Online. Mitchell Lundgaard Joins National Fallen Firefighters Memorial
Sergeant Biese and Officer Christensen received the 2020 Top Cops Award from the National Association of Police Organizations for their actions during the shootout.14Post-Crescent. Appleton Police Officers Involved in Valley Transit Shooting Receive National Award Biese also received the Officer of the Year and Police Star Medal awards from the Appleton Police Department in 2020.15City of Appleton. Appleton Police Department Year in Review 2020
In August 2023, the U.S. Post Office at 410 West Franklin Street in Appleton was renamed the Mitchell F. Lundgaard Post Office. U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher sponsored the legislation (H.R. 9335) and spent three years securing its passage, which required unanimous support from the state’s congressional delegation and the president’s signature.16USPS Newsroom. Congressman Mike Gallagher Helps Dedicate Appleton Post Office to Honor Firefighter Mitchell Lundgaard
The City of Appleton also dedicated a park in Lundgaard’s honor one year after his death. Lundgaard Park sits at 4900 North Lightning Drive, next to Fire Station 6, where he had worked. It was designed with input from his family, and amenities including a firefighter-themed playground, pickleball courts, a basketball court, and walking trails opened in the summer of 2024.17City of Appleton Parks and Recreation. Lundgaard Park On May 15, 2026, the seventh anniversary of his death, a new pavilion at the park was dedicated in a “hose uncoupling” ceremony performed by the Lundgaard family, Fire Chief Jeremy Hansen, and Mayor Jake Woodford. Memorial plaques honoring four Appleton firefighters who died in the line of duty, including Lundgaard, were unveiled during the ceremony.18Fox 11 Online. Lundgaard Park Pavilion Dedication and Memorial Plaques
His Family and the Lundgaard Love Foundation
Lundgaard is survived by his wife, Lindsey (now Lindsey Lundgaard-Lindberg), and their three sons, Evan, Logan, and Ryan, who were nine, seven, and four at the time of his death.19National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Mitchell F. Lundgaard Shortly after the shooting, the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation announced it would pay off the family’s mortgage, and it did so in July 2019. Lindsey said at the time that the support “allows me to focus on my children and grieving the loss of my husband.”20WBAY. 9/11 Memorial Organization to Pay Off Lundgaard Family Mortgage
Lindsey founded the Lundgaard Love Foundation to return community support to the Appleton area. The foundation has committed more than $100,000 in community contributions. Its signature initiative has been donating “Stop the Bleed” bleeding-control kit cabinets to local schools: 31 kits to the Kimberly School District in October 2023, and 150 kits across 25 cabinets to the Appleton Area School District in May 2025. The foundation also funds the Mitch Lundgaard Memorial Scholarship at Fox Valley Technical College for students in the fire protection and paramedic programs and has made direct grants to area fire departments.21Lundgaard Love Foundation. Who We’ve Helped
“Whether it was in his work as a firefighter, or just in everyday life, he believed deeply in being prepared for anything,” Lindsey said of her late husband. “He also believed in protecting people, especially our kids.”22Fox 11 Online. Lundgaard Love: Family of Fallen Firefighter Honors Him With Lifesaving Donation As of 2025, the family’s eldest son, Evan, has said he plans to become a firefighter after high school.23WBAY. Appleton Community Remembers Mitch Lundgaard on Anniversary of His Death