The Appleton Police Department's Crime Scene Unit vehicle is at the scene of a fatal shooting in the 100 block of S. Walnut Street Dec. 24, 2023. PC: Fox 11 Online
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Police in Appleton are still putting together the pieces following a deadly shooting on Christmas Eve.
The incident happened downtown in the 100 block of S. Walnut Street early in the morning on Dec. 24. Elijah Dodson, 22, of Milwaukee, was killed in the shooting.
“There’s no good time for an event like that,” said Bill Weztel, the owner of ACOCA Café and Roastery on College Avenue in Appleton.
The Appleton Police Department sent a letter to the community Tuesday to emphasize their commitment to finding the individual responsible for the shooting.
They also wanted to reassure community members of their safety.
“We monitor our social media very closely and we certainly can pick up on thoughts that people were having, in terms of not feeling safe coming downtown, and we felt it was really important to address that,” said Appleton Police Chief Polly Olson.
“It shouldn’t, and I don’t want it to necessarily deter people from coming down here and utilizing our community,” added Olson.
Although Appleton police have ramped up patrols in the downtown area, many people — including business owners — believe it’s a safe place.
“It’s a little bit loud, it’s a little bit rowdy sometimes, but I’ve never seen something like that [the shooting] happen,” said Van Theel. “And to me, this just seems like an isolated event.”
“I don’t feel concerned or nervous,” said Weztel. “I’m sad that it even happened, and I hope that we can prevent those kind of things from happening again.”
Wetzel learned about the shooting through Facebook.
“It’s shocking when you can see your own building in the picture that was on the post,” said Wetzel.
On Wednesday, police were unable to comment on whether they have a person of interest in the case.
“We’ve had some good cooperation, certainly with witnesses and folks that were downtown,” said Olson.
Police are still asking for anyone with information to come forward.
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