Court records show Oneida Casino restaurant shooter had history of harassment

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - Court records show a restraining order and an injunction were recently filed against the man identified as the gunman who killed two people and seriously injured another person Saturday evening at a restaurant inside the Radisson at the Oneida Casino complex.

After authorities identified 62-year-old Bruce Pofahl as the shooter Monday during a news conference, Action 2 News dug into his past to see what his previous court records could tell about him.

We found that since the end of February, Pofahl had been cited for harassment, and also had a temporary restraining order filed against him by a woman listing him as a ‘former supervisor’. Since the woman is considered a victim of stalking, Action 2 News is not identifying her.

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In the paperwork, the court granted an injunction, saying Pofahl couldn’t have contact with or harass her - but, it did not bar him from possessing guns.

While investigators believe Pofahl was targeting a specific person or people when he started shooting inside the Duck Creek restaurant Saturday night, they won’t say exactly who he was after.

“Certainly, this individual is a threat. And it’s obvious based upon his past activities,” said Brown County Sheriff Todd Delain.

While law enforcement appear to have had little contact with Pofahl in the past, aside from a speeding ticket, that changed in the last three months.

A woman who identifies Pofahl as a ‘former supervisor’ filed a restraining order against him in March, indicating harassment.

A court commissioner ordered Pofahl couldn’t have contact with the woman or her family, at work or at home.

Court records show investigators made five separate attempts to serve Pofahl with notice of the restraining order between March 9 and 15 at his Hobart address, but Pofahl refused to cooperate and wouldn’t answer the door or phone.

He was finally served with the restraining order on March 17, but didn’t show up for his court hearing six days later.

Instead, he wrote a letter saying he was in the “vulnerable” population, and thought the courthouse didn’t “provide a safe, healthy environment.”

At that time, the court granted an injunction for four years, but without a firearms restriction.

The court then checked a box saying there was “not clear and convincing evidence that (Pofahl) would use a firearm to cause physical harm to another or endanger public safety”, meaning he “did not” have to surrender any guns he may have had.

But, it appears through court orders that Pofahl was never served with that injunction.

Action 2 News also found Pofahl was cited twice in February and early March in Green Bay Municipal Court, and was found guilty of Unlawful Use of Computerized Communication System” and “Harassment”. That happened days before the restraining order was filed.

Investigators also wouldn’t say how long Pofahl has been in Brown County, or how long he worked at the restaurant. However, Action 2 News was able to find court records showing him with a local address dating back to July of 2019.

From online public records, Pofahl was shown to have moved around the country, and lived in at least eight states. He appeared to work at higher-end restaurants or golf resorts, and worked as the director of food and beverage in some places.

That is the same title he held at the Duck Creek restaurant.

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