Suspect in Appleton Shooting was Out on Bond from FDL County Jail

Court documents show the man accused of shooting and killing
Appleton firefighter Mitch Lundgaard on Wednesday night had been released from
the Fond du Lac County Jail after posting bond. Ruben Houston was released from
jail May 4^th after posting a $500 cash bond. He was facing up to 15
years in prison on a felony drug possession charge, following a traffic stop
where drugs were found in his possession. Bond for Houston was initially set at
$5,000 at his first court appearance on April 24^th of this year, but
was adjusted down to $500 on May 3^rd. The next day, Houston posted
the bond and was released. Houston died at the scene of Wednesday’s shooting
after exchanging gunfire with police.

Emergency crews responded to the Valley Transit Center in
Appleton around 5:30 Wednesday night for a report that a man, now identified as
Houston, was having a seizure on a bus. After first responders provided medical
attention to him, he walked away from the scene and at some point pulled a gun
and started firing. Appleton Police Officer Paul Christensen and 30-year-old
Brittany L. Schowalter, a bystander, were injured in the shooting, with
Lundgaard dying from his injuries Wednesday night at a hospital.