Pennington County Sheriff’s Office mourns loss of former deputy

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - The Pennington County Sheriff’s Office is mourning the death of one of their own, former Deputy Kaitlin (Kaitie) Leising, whom authorities say was shot and killed in Saint Croix County, Wisc.

“Law enforcement, corrections, public safety is bonded together. So, when that happens at a region of our country whether were closely connected with that person or not it impacts all of us,” said Pennington County Sheriff Brian Muller.

Leising, working as a deputy in Saint Croix County, pulled over a suspected drunk driver, and during the conversation about field sobriety tests, Jeremiah Johnson, the suspected driver, was “evasive.” That’s when he pulled out a handgun and shot Leising. The 29-year-old deputy was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The agency said, “After being struck, Deputy Leising discharged her weapon three times, but none of the rounds hit Johnson before he fled to the nearby wooded area.” Johnson was found dead, reportedly by a self-inflicted gunshot.

Leising is described as always being uplifting and happy.

“She would always have a positive outlook. If she ever had a bad day, you wouldn’t know it,” said Sr. Deputy Jim Waldrop, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.

“Katie was much more than a deputy, she was a wife, mother, a daughter, a good friend, a strong community member. She had a lot of different layers to her, and they were all wonderful,” said Muller.

Leising served for the PCSO for almost two years, before leaving in 2022 for Wisconsin.

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