Wis. man allegedly purposely drove into family in an 'act of vigilante justice'

COTTAGE GROVE, Wis. (TCN) -- A 49-year-old man who reportedly drove into a family, killing a mother and dog, in an act of apparent revenge was found dead in his jail cell one day after he pleaded not guilty.

According to the Cottage Grove Police Department, on the evening of April 28, officers responded to the 1300 block of Landmark Drive for a report of a crash involving a car and pedestrians. Three people were transported to hospitals and a dog died at the scene. One of the victims, Dr. Kami Hansen, died from her injuries at the hospital, while the other two were treated and released.

On May 1, police arrested the driver Jeffrey Endres on charges of first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree reckless injury, and first-degree recklessly endangering safety.

WMTV-TV reports the reckless homicide charge was later upgraded to intentional homicide. At Endres' court hearing on Tuesday, May 5, Dane County Deputy District Attorney William Brown said the crash "was not an accident. This was an intentional act by Mr. Endres," calling it "essentially an act of vigilante justice."

Endres' criminal complaint says the Hansen and Endres families lived on the same street and "had a positive relationship until recently." They often carpooled, and their kids "played together regularly and were considered best friends."

The relationship "changed drastically" in March after an allegation came up about a "sensitive crime" involving Hansen’s juvenile son and Endres' child. The two families were not allowed to have contact after that. On April 23, Endres requested a copy of the police report from the Cottage Grove Police Department. He received the police report less than three hours before the incident.

Officers spoke with Endres at the scene of the crash, and he reportedly said he was "having a bad day." He claimed he was driving 25 mph and lost control of the vehicle, though he also told medical staff at the hospital that he had been having suicidal thoughts over the last month.

One of the responding detectives noticed shoes near the crash site and determined the victims "were ejected from their shoes when they were struck by the vehicle." Hansen’s husband told the detective Endres was "flooring it" and never appeared to hit the brakes when the car went over the curb.

A witness told a detective the car was "absolutely flying," and she thought it was traveling at around 60 mph. The speed limit for the street is 25 mph. An Uber driver said the vehicle involved in the crash was driving fast behind him, which caused the Uber driver to accelerate to 40 mph. He said the suspect’s car drove "straight into" the victims.

On May 6, the Dane County Sheriff’s Office said a man was found unresponsive in his jail cell just before 6 a.m. Deputies attempted lifesaving efforts on the man, but he was pronounced deceased at the scene. Wisconsin Public Radio reports several sources confirmed Endres was the inmate who died.

Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in the statement, "Our deepest condolences are extended to the person’s family and loved ones during this difficult time. We take any in-custody death extremely seriously, and this will be thoroughly investigated to ensure full transparency."

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