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Man shot in the head in Eastman survives
Lee Kennedy
LEE J. KENNEDY, 47, from Roscoe, Illinois, has been charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide, endangering safety by intoxicated use of a firearm and being a felon in possession of a firearm, in connection with a recent shooting in rural Eastman which left one man critically injured.

EASTMAN - A 47-year-old man was shot in the back of the head in the early morning hours of Friday, Oct. 25 in the driveway of an Eastman Township property, according to the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department.

Jason L. Melvin, a Monticello resident, remains in critical condition at University Hospital in Madison, where he was MedFlighted last Friday from Crossing Rivers Healthcare in Prairie du Chien following the shooting.

Lee J. Kennedy, 47, from Roscoe, Illinois, has been charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide, endangering safety by intoxicated use of a firearm and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

At a bail bond hearing for Kennedy on Monday, Oct. 28, Crawford County Circuit Court Judge Lynn Marie Rider set a cash bond of $50,000. Kennedy posted the $50,000 bond on Tuesday.

As conditions of the bond, Rider indicated Kennedy was not to possess any firearms, possess or consume any alcoholic beverages nor enter any taverns. Additionally, Rider ordered Kennedy to have no contact with Jason Melvin or Jennifer Glass.

The Crawford County Dispatch Center received a 911 call from a female caller at 1:20 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 25, according to the sheriff’s department. The caller, later identified as Jennifer Glass, 40, Soldiers Grove, stated that she was in a vehicle in a driveway and the male driver of the vehicle had just been shot in the head, as they were going out of the driveway.

Glass told the 911 dispatcher that the back window of the truck was blown out from the bullet and she had no idea of where she was.

The dispatch center was able to locate the caller by cell phone coordinates, which showed she was on Martin Lane in Eastman Township.

Glass told authorities that she and Melvin had met a man at a local tavern, later identified as the Main Street Bar in Eastman. Glass indicated they gave the man, later identified as Kennedy, a ride to a cabin where he was staying because he was out celebrating his birthday and was too intoxicated to drive. 

When they arrived at the cabin, they went into an RV-type camper parked outside the cabin and continued to celebrate the man’s birthday, according to Glass.

They were there for about 45 minutes, Glass recalled. Then, when they were driving away someone shot into the truck through the back window striking the male driver in the back of the head. Jennifer Glass, the passenger, was not injured.

The truck, described as a 2006 GMC single cab model, was being analyzed by the experts from the Wisconsin State Crime Lab earlier this week.

A pistol found by authorities at the scene is believed to be the weapon fired at the truck.

In their initial statement, the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department said a 47-year-old man from Roscoe, Illinois was taken into custody with the assistance of the LaCrosse Tactical Team and their BearCat–a heavily armored vehicle.

Lee Kennedy surrendered to police at the scene without incident, according to Crawford County Sheriff Dale McCullick.

Court records and other records show that Melvin, in addition to the Monticello address, has previously lived in New Glarus, Janesville, Belleville and Madison.

In addition to the Roscoe, Illinois residence mentioned by police in the initial press release, records show that Kennedy has previously lived in Rockton, Illinois and Beloit.

Kennedy has a hearing scheduled for Monday, Nov. 4 at 2 p.m.

The Wisconsin State Crime Lab and Wisconsin State Patrol were called to assist with processing and diagramming the scene. Assisting at the scene were the Eastman First Responders and Fire Department, Tri-State EMS and the Prairie du Chien Police Department. The shooting remains under investigation.