A quiet afternoon in northern Wisconsin turned into a deadly standoff after a 64-year-old man allegedly opened fire near an apartment building, sending renovation workers and residents running before he later began shooting at responding officers.
According to a recent video by Code Blue Cam, the May 23, 2026 incident began in the Town of Nashville when dispatchers received a frightened 911 call about gunfire near an apartment complex. Within minutes, more calls followed as residents reported hearing loud popping sounds and seeing workers flee from the building.
The suspect was later identified as Floyd Vanzile Jr., an Army veteran who used a wheelchair and, according to the channel, had become increasingly isolated and bitter over the years.
Repair Workers Run As Gunfire Breaks Out
Code Blue Cam said the first call came in around 3:25 p.m., when a resident reported seeing or hearing a neighbor shooting near the apartment property.
By the time officers from the Crandon Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Forest County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched, more than nine additional calls had reportedly come in.
Several callers said construction workers who had been helping renovate the building suddenly ran from the area while repeatedly saying, “No good,” and pointing back toward the apartments.
Moments later, more shots were heard.
One resident told dispatchers that she had walked down a hallway after hearing the gunfire and saw Vanzile sitting in his wheelchair with a rifle. She quickly returned to her apartment.
The information reaching officers was incomplete and constantly changing. At one point, dispatch said Vanzile might be outside with a rifle, while officers arriving at the property still did not know exactly where he was.
That uncertainty made the first few minutes especially dangerous. Responding officers were moving into an active-shooter call without knowing whether the gunman was inside, outside or waiting for them to appear.
Officers Spot Him In A Window
Bodycam footage shows officers taking positions around nearby homes and buildings while trying to determine where Vanzile was located.
One officer eventually reported seeing him in a window.
“Sheriff’s office. Put the gun down and come outside,” officers shouted.
The commands were repeated, but the situation quickly escalated.
Gunfire erupted, and officers warned one another about crossfire as they moved for cover.
“He just shot at him,” one officer said before radio traffic announced that shots had been fired.
The scene became even more difficult because several officers were positioned around the apartment complex at different angles, creating a serious risk that someone could accidentally fire toward another law enforcement position.
Code Blue Cam’s narration said officers had not yet realized that Vanzile apparently had no intention of surrendering.
That became clearer as the encounter continued.
A Troubled History Comes Into Focus
The channel said Vanzile’s brother later described him as an extremely private man who rarely interacted with other people.
According to the narrator, Vanzile had been confined to a wheelchair for roughly seven years, was unemployed, received no benefits and refused medical or psychological assistance.
Code Blue Cam also traced some of his bitterness back to his military service in the 1980s.
The channel said Vanzile had been discharged from the Army after accidentally backing a tank into a colonel’s vehicle, although Vanzile maintained that support personnel had given him incorrect directions.
After leaving the military, he later found work at a bowling-pin manufacturing company, but the narrator said he eventually lost that job after repeatedly showing up after consuming excessive amounts of alcohol.
Another police report, according to the video, involved Vanzile accidentally firing a gun in front of his mother, frightening her badly enough that she became afraid of him.
He later worked elsewhere for about 14 years and was reportedly good at the job, but eventually stopped showing up.
More recently, his family believed renovations at the apartment building had become another source of anger and distrust. His brother reportedly believed the shooting had been years in the making.
Those details do not excuse what happened, but they help explain why family members may have viewed the attack as the final collapse of a long and worsening pattern rather than a completely sudden act.
Vanzile Comes Outside Shooting
As officers kept ordering him to drop the rifle, Vanzile emerged from the apartment.
One officer urgently radioed that the suspect had come out the front door and started shooting.
“He came out the front door, I think, shooting at me,” the officer said.
Police moved farther behind nearby houses and vehicles while trying to improve their positions without creating dangerous crossfire.
At one point, an officer explained that he could not safely shoot because other officers were positioned across from him.
The gunfire was not limited to police vehicles or officers.
According to Code Blue Cam, Vanzile fired toward nearby property and even shot at a propane tank.
“He’s shooting the propane tanks,” an officer warned.
That created another potentially catastrophic danger because the confrontation was unfolding in a residential area.
The channel also said a graduation party was taking place beneath a tent directly across from the apartment complex while the shooting was underway.
It is difficult to imagine a more dangerous setting for an armed standoff. Officers were dealing with a rifleman, occupied homes, vehicles, a gas tank and civilians who had been going about an ordinary Saturday afternoon only minutes earlier.
Officers Believe He Has Been Hit
After more gunfire, one officer reported that he believed he had struck Vanzile.
The suspect remained visible in his wheelchair near the front of the building, but officers could not immediately tell whether he still had access to the rifle.
They therefore held their positions instead of rushing forward.
Using binoculars, officers eventually reported seeing an AR-style rifle at his feet.
Even then, the approach was slow and deliberate.
The officers discussed cover, possible additional people inside the building and where the rifle’s barrel was pointing before beginning to move toward him.
“Forest County Sheriff’s Office, you’re under arrest,” they shouted as they advanced.
They repeatedly ordered him not to reach for the weapon.
Once officers reached the area, they secured the rifle and confirmed that Vanzile was down.
Code Blue Cam reported that he had been struck by police gunfire and was pronounced dead at the scene.
No Officers Charged After The Shooting
The channel said Vanzile’s rounds struck nearby houses, an LP gas tank and several vehicles, including two Crandon Police Department patrol vehicles.
Despite the volume of gunfire and the number of people nearby, no one else was killed.
The officer-involved shooting was later investigated by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation.
According to Code Blue Cam, investigators reviewed statements from residents and officers, body-camera footage and cellphone video recorded by people in the neighborhood.
They concluded that Vanzile had repeatedly ignored commands to surrender and instead fired at responding officers and the propane tank.
No action was ultimately taken against the officers involved.
The case is striking because it began with repair workers apparently trying to do an ordinary job and residents spending an ordinary afternoon at home, yet within minutes an entire neighborhood had effectively become an active-shooter scene.
Code Blue Cam closed by noting that Vanzile had once served his country, but that the choices he made that afternoon left homes damaged, officers under fire and neighbors caught in a situation they had no role in creating.
For the people who watched the gunfire unfold from yards, windows and nearby streets, the fact that nobody else was killed was probably the only fortunate part of a confrontation that could have ended much worse.
Raised in a small Arizona town, Kevin grew up surrounded by rugged desert landscapes and a family of hunters. His background in competitive shooting and firearms training has made him an authority on self-defense and gun safety. A certified firearms instructor, Kevin teaches others how to properly handle and maintain their weapons, whether for hunting, home defense, or survival situations. His writing focuses on responsible gun ownership, marksmanship, and the role of firearms in personal preparedness.
