Updated: Police Found Suicide Note, Explosive Materials in Waukesha Man's Residence

Updated: 11:42 a.m. Wednesday: The 35-year-old man who fatally shot himself before dropping an improvised explosive device Tuesday night used a Civil War-style replica gun, according to a news release from Capt. Ron Oremus.

The man was identified as Chad Cross, who had been having recent suicidal thoughts, according to police. The suicide happened on a sidewalk in the 800 block of Manor Drive about 100 feet north of Kensington Drive near his friend’s residence.

From the police department:

The improvised explosive device was about 3 inches by 4 inches and a couple of inches deep. According to Milwaukee County Bomb Squad, it was designed using black powder and ball ammunition from a muzzle loaded weapon and was very dangerous. The Bomb Squad used their robot to transport the IED a short distance to a nearby retaining wall to safely disable it minimizing the risk to emergency personnel and citizens. The IED was prevented from detonating by the use of special munitions.

After the situation was rendered safe by the Bomb Squad, they responded the subject’s residence, which had previously been secured, in the 300 block of South Street in Waukesha.  A suicide note and bomb making materials were located in his residence and secured.

This incident was resolved with the assistance of the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office Bearcat (Armored Vehicle) and personnel, Milwaukee County Sheriff Bomb Squad and the Waukesha Fire Department.

Tuesday night: A 35-year-old man fatally shot himself and police have called in the Milwaukee Bomb Squad at Kensington and Manor. The man’s friend called police at 8:14 p.m. Tuesday because the man was suicidal, according to Capt. Ron Oremus.

The man shot himself with one round after officers attempted to make verbal contact with him as he was walking down the street.

“Officers did not shoot,” Oremus said. “He dropped a package.”

The man’s friend told police that the man has an “interest in improvised explosive devices,” Oremus said.

Based on the information provided to police, the Milwaukee Bomb Squad believed the package was possibly a bomb or an improvised explosive device. They decided to use a robot to detonate the package shortly before midnight.

“They did that safely without any harm to anybody in the community,” Oremus said. “Now that that has been detonated we are able to normalize the scene here and get everybody back to their homes relatively quickly.

“… They believed it was some sort of explosive. I am not sure if that is definitive on their part but that is their expertise.”

Law enforcement also blocked off a portion of South Street between Clinton Street and North Grand Avenue as officers searched the man’s home.

“They are going to that location to make sure there is nothing there that could be harmful to anybody,” Oremus said.

Earlier, Oremus told Patch when he was first on scene that he was unsure if the man was alive. The man's identity is not being released by police.

“It is so early on that we are trying to provide help, but we are not going to risk our officers in doing so.”

Megan Ewing, 11, lives in the neighborhood and heard the gunshot while she was watching a scary movie. The man was lying in the front of her family’s residence.

Megan didn’t know the man but believed her neighbor knows the man.

“All I heard was a big bang,” Megan said. “… I got down; I got a rug burn on my leg because I dodged to the floor. I got scared, and I started crying.”

Megan’s family was waiting in a nearby by Waukesha Metro Transit bus to stay warm as they can’t return to their home.

Dave Speer wasn’t in the neighborhood when police were first called, but he was also waiting to return home. The neighborhood is comprised of residential units and is surrounded by nursing homes.

“I have been living here for 20 years and this has never happened,” he said.  “People have hit buses around here, but nothing like this. This is insane.”

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