Suspect in Onalaska gunfire incident makes first appearance before judge on endangerment charge

Charges could be filed on Friday against an Onalaska man suspected of firing a gun in an apartment parking lot last weekend.

Kevin McDowell made a brief appearance before Judge Elliott Levine on Thursday, on a charge of endangering safety. Police say three rounds were fired last Sunday, but an attorney for McDowell said in court that there was only one shot, and nobody was injured.

Judge Levine says McDowell was tested for competency, and could be released from jail on a signature bond, but would remain under house arrest for now, and would not be allowed to handle firearms or other weapons. The district attorney’s office argued for a $5000 cash bond.

McDowell was taken into custody, after Onalaska police received a call about gunshots, and about a person behaving erratically in a parking lot. He’s expected back in court on Friday afternoon, when a criminal complaint may be introduced.