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Chaos Erupts During Hearing For Jefferson Shooting Suspect

Man Accused Of Fatally Shooting Off-Duty Officer, Boyfriend

Updated: 6:55 am CST December 8,2009

A Jefferson County courtroom erupted into chaos on Monday afternoon after the suspect in a double killing in Jefferson this weekend lunged toward the audience and had to be restrained by several officers.

The outburst happened just moments after a judge ordered Andrew Wirth's bail set at $1 million. He let loose a stream of obscenities and appeared to try and throw himself over the courtroom bar toward those in the audience section. Wirth was tackled by a group of five officers, pinned to a table and authorities used a Taser on him to bring him under control and hustled him off to another room.

Wirth, 25, is charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of Gregg Peters and his girlfriend Jennifer Luick, a Town of Oconomowoc police officer and single mother.

Luick's family was seated in the front row of the courtroom on Monday clutching the woman's pictures and wiping tears during the short arraignment proceeding. When the outburst began, deputies rushed the family out of the courtroom to safety.

Luick's fellow officers were seated right beside the family to offer support and protect them.

"I had my lieutenant seated off to the side to protect the family and deputies took care of their responsibilities," said Town of Oconomowoc Police Chief Jim Wallis.

Wallis said Monday's outburst makes the family's loss that much more unbearable.

"I know the emotional outburst inside was very hard on the family and they would like to see justice done, and so would we" said Wallis.

According to the criminal complaint, released on Monday, Luick and Gregg Peters were at Vinnie's Rock Bottom Bar in Jefferson on Saturday night to listen to a band.

Carol Blasier, Luick's friend who was with her that night, told police that Luick was having fun dancing and drinking that night. Blasier said the two women were "grabbing everyone's butts in the bar as a joke and to be playful." Blasier said that she saw Luick touch a guy's butt and he seemed to take offense to it.

Police said that they believe that person was Andrew Wirth. Wirth told police, "I was on a (expletive) date and that guy's girlfriend grabbed my (butt)." Wirth said he said something to the woman, who went and told her friends.

Wirth said the guy came up to him and told him to step outside. The report said Wirth went outside with the guy and from his perspective the other guy started it. Wirth stated, "If he wanted to (expletive) with me, that's life."

Several witnesses in the complaint report watching Wirth shoot both Peters and Luick and then leave the bar.

Wirth was apprehended a short time later, waived his Miranda rights and told police where they could find the gun used in the shooting.

Detectives reported that Wirth asked repeatedly about the conditions of the victims. Wirth told police he, "didn't wish for anyone to be dead, but (Luick's) the one that started it." He told detectives he "didn't think the guy got hit enough times so that he would die."

According to the criminal complaint and the Jefferson County district attorney's office, Wirth has some connection to the Los Diablos motorcycle gang in the area. His parents and friends were seated in the courtroom on Monday, as well as members of the media and victim's families.

Officials said that no trial date has been set as yet.

Stay tuned to WISC-TV and Channel 3000 for continuing coverage.

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