Bodycam captures dramatic shoot-out with man accused of slaughtering family before he vanishes
By: One of Wisconsin's most-wanted fugitives is a skilled marksman who allegedly killed two family members, shot at police, torched his father's farm and then vanished.
Kevin Anderson has been on the run since the Wild West-like gun battle on June 16, 2020, when a deputy from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office responded to a burglary call.
A rapid succession of gunshots rings out as the deputy ducks behind a police SUV, according to bodycam footage.
"Shots fired at the residence. Shots fired," he yells to dispatch as another shot goes off.
The officer runs from behind the police SUV to take cover while another salvo bursts in the background, the video shows.
"Return fire, upper window," the officer yells.
The 15-minute bodycam footage, obtained by Fox News Digital as part of a large public records request, documents the harrowing exchange of bullets in the otherwise quiet, tiny farm town of Sumner, Wisconsin, near Lake Koshkonong.
The deputy fired four rounds at the window while retreating down the driveway into a ditch, the criminal complaint against Anderson says.
Less than two minutes into the video, the deputy appears to be crawling on the ground or crouched low in the grass when he tells dispatch he found Jim and Nedra Lemke's bodies.
They were Anderson's brother-in-law and sister, who he is accused of killing, according to police. They reported the burglary, which prompted the law enforcement response.
Kevin Anderson is accused of burning his father's farm after he died and left it to his sister in his will, according to the criminal complaint. (Jefferson County Sheriff's Office in Wisconsin via FOIA request)
"One female. Gunshot wound to the abdomen, laying on the ground. One male in the back of the SUV. Not involved," the deputy tells dispatch as he lies in a ditch for protection.
Gunshots continue to blast in the background. Anderson allegedly fired at least 12 shots at police, according to the complaint.
At this point, only grass and brief flashes of the police officer's handgun are seen on the bodycam as he crawls his way back to his patrol vehicle.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice "found evidence that multiple shots were fired into Deputy Victim 3's squad vehicle, mostly to the driver's area," the complaint says.
Within minutes of backup arriving at the scene, "dark smoke and visible flames" enveloped the two-story house, according to the complaint.
The bodycam footage ends with the deputy getting into the passenger seat of another officer's vehicle as they drive away from the burning building, while a large plume of smoke rose into the air.