Man who killed 2 in Wisconsin had long criminal history

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KEWASKUM, Wis. (AP) — A man who killed two men in eastern Wisconsin before being fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy had a history of criminal offenses dating back more than a decade, officials said.

Nicholas Pingel, 30, had recently been released from prison and had struggled with mental health issues, according to the Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation.

Pingel was killed Feb. 3 in a shootout in Kewaskum with a Washington County deputy after he fatally shot two residents in separate homes as he searched for another vehicle to steal after crashing a stolen car.

Authorities said Pingel entered a couple’s home and shot a 72-year-old man who relatives identified as Ray Engelking, a father of three and a former teacher and coach. Pingel then went to a neighboring home and killed a 77-year-old man.

Family members and others said Pingel struggled with substantial mental health issues and was disconnected from relatives in the week before the shootings.

Pingel has a criminal record dating back to 2010 involving misdemeanor and felony arrests, sheriff’s officials said. From 2014 to 2016, Pingel was arrested for several burglaries and was eventually sent to prison.

He was released from prison in December and was on extended supervision with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.