Suspect bound over in Eau Claire County homicide case

EAU CLAIRE COUNTY, Wis. (WEAU) - A suspect in an Eau Claire County homicide case is bound over.

Nov. 29, 2022 court records show 34-year-old Xavier Thompson is bound over. A preliminary hearing was held Nov. 29.

Thompson is one of two men charged with homicide in the fatal Sept. shooting of an Altoona man in Eau Claire on Sept. 17.

According to online court records, 32-year-old Michael Purnell and Thompson, both of Eau Claire, were each charged with 1st-degree intentional homicide, two counts of 1st-degree recklessly endangering safety with the use of a dangerous weapon, and discharging a firearm from a vehicle, all felonies, in Eau Claire County Circuit Court. All eight counts were filed as party to a crime.

According to documents filed, police responded to a report of a shooting in Eau Claire and found an injured man. A civilian was attempting first aid when police arrived. First responders found one gunshot wound in the man’s back and took over providing aid to the man, who was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.

Investigators found nine spent shell casings in the area of the reported shooting. A vehicle that had bullet holes in it was found crashed into a tree at the scene. A man approached police at the scene, saying that the car was his and that someone shot at him. The man told police that he ran because he was scared. Inspection of the vehicle found multiple points of damage from bullets, as well as the rear windshield being shattered, according to the criminal complaint.