On the evening of June 17, 2019, 49‑year‑old John Hetland, an off‑duty Racine police officer and father of two, was at Teezer’s Tavern when a masked man with a semi‑automatic handgun entered intending to rob the bar. Hetland vaulted the bar to confront the robber and engaged in a brief struggle to disarm him. The suspect pushed Hetland back and fired a single, fatal shot to the chest; the gunman then fled.

A multiagency manhunt followed. DNA collected from Hetland’s shirt and the scene produced a lead that identified 26‑year‑old Dalquavis Ward. Ward was arrested on June 27, 2019. He was charged with first‑degree intentional homicide, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm by a felon. In September 2020 a jury found Ward guilty on all counts and he was later sentenced to life without parole.