The University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department responded to a report of a disturbance at the Wisconsin Psychiatric Institute and Clinics at approximately 8:00 a.m. Tuesday caused by former patient S. Jean Gibson, who later died from injuries, according to a UWPD release.
Clinic staff said Gibson was banned from the building, located about five miles southwest of campus, because of previous threats she had made, the most recent of which indicated she had a gun and was not afraid to use it, according to the release. Police quickly responded to the scene and learned the subject had left on foot, heading northwest into a field with heavy vegetation.
UWPD and Madison Police Department established a perimeter and started a search for Gibson. Officials evacuated the WisPIC building and notified nearby buildings, but the main search area was the large field just west of WisPIC. Police also notified students by WiscAlerts to avoid the area at 12:32 p.m.
Police used multiple search techniques to locate Gibson, including MPD dogs and Dane County Sheriff’s Office all-terrain vehicles. Police dogs identified certain hotspots in the search area despite the thick vegetation. UWPD then arranged for an airplane to sweep the search area while MPD mounted units prepared to respond to areas of interest identified from the air.
The report indicates that just before the plane arrived, MPD mounted officers entered the search area to do a general sweep and soon after located Gibson, who had concealed herself in dense vegetation.
Officers verbally engaged with Gibson, who was armed and fired the weapon. She suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound which later proved to be fatal, according to the report.
Additional officers immediately responded to the area, disarmed Gibson and transported her to a local hospital. At 3:43 p.m., students received a second WiscAlerts message indicating the suspect had been located and placed in custody. However, the 6000 block of Research Park Drive remained closed to students.
While UWPD will continue to investigate the case, the department thanked the agencies involved with the search in its report, including MPD, the Dane County Sheriff’s Office and the Madison Fire Department.
