Portage Co. Sheriff’s Officers, the Wisconsin State Patrol and Plover police investigate an officer-involved shooting Friday night. (City-Times photo)

City-Times Staff

The Plover Police Department has released the name of the officer involved in a shooting on Highway 54 on Friday night.

Officer Andrew Hopfensperger, who has been with the department since 2006, initiated the traffic stop of an erratic driver shortly before 7 PM on Friday. The driver, 33 year-old Brett Lieberman of Manawa, exited his vehicle and quickly approached Hopfensperger’s squad car with a knife.

Hopfensperger then used his department- issued handgun to stop what Police Chief Dwayne Weirzba called a “potentially lethal attack.”

“Based on the information to this point, the Plover Police Department believes Officer Hopfensperger used appropriate force to defend himself and stop the threat posed to him by Lieberman’s attack,” Wierzba said in a statement.

Lieberman has been hospitalized with gunshot wounds. His condition is not currently available. There were no other occupants in the vehicle.

The Department of Justice-Division of Criminal Investigation was requested to lead this investigation.  The Portage County Sheriff’s Department, the Wisconsin State Patrol and the Wisconsin Crime Laboratory are assisting the Division of Criminal Investigation.

Hopfensperger was not injured and has been placed on administrative leave which is a standard practice in these types of investigations.