September 21, 2016 at 3:49 p.m.
Officer honored for heroic actions at Antigo prom
Officer honored for heroic actions at Antigo prom
By Kayla Thomason-
The Nicolet College Criminal Justice Advisory Committee presented Hopfensperger Jr. with a plaque and certificate Tuesday at the college's Birchwood Center.
The award is in recognition of Hopfensperger's actions the evening of April 23 when Jakob Wagner, 18, opened fire outside the Antigo High School prom, injuring two students who were leaving the dance.
Hopfensperger, who happened to be in the school parking lot with a drug-sniffing dog, heard the shots and leapt into action, killing Wagner and neutralizing the threat.
The two injured students recovered.
"There's millions of cops out there doing these great things but what Andy did that night was incredible, his actions, exactly what he was trained to do but he went above and beyond also because he put his own life at risk and stopped a threat," said Antigo Police Chief Eric Roller. "By that I mean obviously it saved a lot of people."
Hopfensperger was appreciative of the recognition and noted he has received a lot of support from other communities, family, friends and former co-workers.
"It's nice to be recognized for what I did, it's nice to see the appreciation from communities and the technical college and everything," he said, adding that he will probably put the plaque in his living room.
"I just want to thank Nicolet Technical College, the area communities, the city of Antigo, Langlade County. I just want to thank everyone for their appreciation and everything," he said. "I want to thank my department and also the Langlade Sheriff's Department, got nothing but good support from them, everything's positive. And I'd also like to thank my chief, he was by my side from the beginning and he is still by my side right now making sure that everything's going good."
Originally from Clintonville in Waupaca County, Hopfensperger has been with the Antigo Police Department for three years. He began his law enforcement career in 2009.
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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