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Authorities Investigate Wis. Home Invasion, Fatal Shooting

Rocky Butler, James Hamilton, Kevin Crone
From left to right: Rocky Butler, James Hamilton, Kevin Crone (credit: Sawyer County Sheriff's Office)

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Sawyer County Sheriff's Office is investigating a home invasion that resulted in one of the alleged intruders dead and another in custody.

Authorities said they received a 911 call Wednesday at 11:30 p.m. referencing someone being shot at an apartment on the Lac Courte Oreilles reservation in northwest Wisconsin.

There, a deceased man, later identified as 26-year-old James A. Hamilton of Stone Lake, was discovered with two gunshot wounds.

The man who called 911, identified as 29-year-old Rocky Butler of Hayward, shot Hamilton after Hamilton came into Butler's house unwanted and battered Butler, according to the Sheriff's Office. Hamilton died from one shot to the head and one to the abdomen.

A third man, 25-year-old Kevin Crone of Hayward, also entered Butler's residence with Hamilton and was involved in the altercation.

Butler was taken to an area hospital after the incident, treated and then taken to the Sawyer County Jail. He was later released.

Crone was arrested the next day by Lac Courte Oreilles Police for a probation violation, pending charges related to Wednesday's incident.

The case is being investigated by the Sawyer County Sheriff's Office with assistance from LCO PD, Division of Criminal Investigations and Wisconsin State Patrol and will be forwarded to the Sawyer County District Attorney's Office for charging purposes.

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