Holly MatkinMadison, WI – The Dane County sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot a suspect who nearly hit him with a stolen pickup truck during a tense encounter outside a Super 8 Hotel in Windsor in October will not be criminally charged.
Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne announced that he will not be filing charges against Dane County Sheriff’s Deputy Cody Woods in connection with the Oct. 13, 2022 shooting death of 46-year-old Quantaze Campbell, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Campbell had an active warrant out for his arrest for skipping out on a court hearing for a theft charge when Deputy Woods made contact with him outside the Super 8 hotel at approximately 6 p.m., according to the news outlet.
Ozanne said Campbell was behind the wheel of a stolen F-150 pickup truck at the time of the incident, and that he had two female passengers inside the vehicle.
Deputy Woods notified his dispatcher over the radio that he was holding the three suspects at gunpoint just before Campbell suddenly “put the truck in drive and began to slowly move forward,” the district attorney said, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
The deputy ordered Campbell to put the truck into park.
“Mr. Campbell is seen raising his hands before putting the truck in reverse and moving the truck back into the parking stall,” Ozanne said. “The deputy gave commands to put the vehicle in park and moved to the front of the truck placing his left hand on the front of the truck with his firearm in his right hand while continuing to give verbal commands.”
Deputy Woods was standing between the stolen pickup and his own patrol vehicle at the time, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
That’s when the female passenger sitting in the front seat threw her door open, as did Campbell.
The woman exited the vehicle, ignoring Deputy Woods’ commands to stay inside and to put the truck into park.
“Mr. Campbell appeared to be exiting the truck before he moved back into the driver’s seat and then he accelerated out of the parking stall while the deputy was still at the front of the truck,” Ozanne said, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
Deputy Woods scrambled backwards and fired a single round as the pickup accelerated forward.
The bullet traveled through the driver’s side window and hit the fleeing suspect, who subsequently drove off to the back side of the hotel, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Campbell brought the truck to a stop in a grassy area near a fence line.
He was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Ozanne said Campbell’s actions warranted Deputy Woods’ use of force, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
The district attorney noted that a “person fleeing from police driving a vehicle toward an officer on foot directly in front of said vehicle does pose a threat of great bodily harm and/or death to the officer.”
“Responding to that threat with deadly force may be permitted under the law,” Ozanne added.
“The deputy was giving verbal commands to stay in the car and to put the car in park,” he said in a statement to the Wisconsin State Journal on Thursday. “Mr. Campbell appeared to be exiting the truck before he moved back into the driver’s seat and then he accelerated out of the parking stall while the deputy was still at the front of the truck.”
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Daughter: cop on side#QuantazeCampbell, 46, "probably confused+ just acting like a human would,” Quantazia, 23, told @WiStateJournal @RickertWisSJ.
New @Flock_Safety plate readers.. pic.twitter.com/UwbpQKkhPx— Alex Belser (@AlexBelser) February 3, 2023
In addition to being behind the wheel of a stolen truck and having a warrant out for his arrest, Campbell had a criminal history stretching back to at least 1994, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
He was previously convicted of drug crimes, theft, robbery, resisting or obstructing an officer, disorderly conduct, and substantial battery, according to the news outlet.
Quantazia Campbell, one of the suspect’s six biological children, told the Wisconsin State Journal her family met with Ozanne on Jan. 25 and that they were told at that time that Deputy Woods would not be charged.
She said her family has contacted civil rights attorney Ben Crump to learn more about their options and said they plan to file a civil rights lawsuit.
“We are continuing to live our dad’s legacy,” Quantazia Campbell told the Wisconsin State Journal. “We have lost the battle but we’re going to win the war, for sure.”
The 23-year-old said she believes her father didn’t understand Deputy Woods’ commands that night.
“There was a back-and-forth between my dad and the deputy,” Quantazia Campbell told the Wisconsin State Journal. “The video looks like (Woods’) instructions were unclear.”
She said she thinks her father was “probably confused and just acting like a human would.”
Quantazia Campbell also disputed Ozanne’s account of what transpired, and claimed surveillance footage showed Deputy Woods standing next to the vehicle as opposed to in front of it, according to The Telegraph.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett released a statement Thursday thanking Ozanne and the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation for conducting a thorough investigation into the fatal officer-involved shooting, WAOW reported.
“These incidents are always difficult for everyone involved, no matter the outcome,” Sheriff Barrett said. “The loss of life weighs heavily on all of us.”
Deputy Woods was placed on administrative leave after the incident, as per protocol, WAOW reported.
The sheriff’s office will conduct an administrative review of the fatal shooting now that the criminal investigation is wrapped up.
Sandy Malone
