A suspect fired a handgun on a public beach in Superior, Wisconsin, on Sunday, prompting Superior police to call in a Minnesota sheriff's K-9 team from across the state line to help track the shooter and find the missing weapon. The dog, a young narcotics and tracking specialist named Ollie, ended up doing exactly that, reverse-tracking the suspect roughly 75 yards through the woods before locking onto the loaded pistol lying in vegetation.
According to an official statement from the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office, Deputy Jason Kuhnly and K-9 Ollie were dispatched to Wisconsin Point after Superior police requested mutual assistance with a disturbance involving a suspect who had discharged a handgun on the beach. As Fox 21 News reported, officers had already located the suspect in the woods but had not been able to find the firearm on their own before the K-9 team arrived.
How Ollie Tracked Down the Hidden Handgun
The sheriff's office said Ollie reverse-tracked the suspect approximately 75 yards through the woods, working off residual scent from the flight path to retrace the route on foot. Deputy Kuhnly noticed the dog's leash go slack and watched Ollie settle into a down position, a signal the handler recognized as the dog identifying an object of interest. The pistol was found in vegetation directly in front of the dog, according to Fox 21 News, resolving a search that officers had been unable to complete on their own.
Ollie is a dual-purpose police K-9 who completed a 16-week training program in November 2025, earning certifications in narcotics detection, tracking, and evidence recovery, according to background reported by Howie Hanson. The AMSOIL Northland Law Enforcement K-9 Foundation contributed $20,000 toward Ollie's purchase, specialized training, and equipment, according to the same report, reflecting how regional foundations help offset costs for K-9 programs across the Northland.
A Family Beach With Deep History
Wisconsin Point is a three-mile natural sand spit that, combined with Minnesota Point, forms one of the world's longest freshwater baymouth sandbars, encompassing 229 acres of public parkland along Lake Superior, according to the City of Superior. Fox 21 News noted the beach is frequently visited by families, underscoring the public safety stakes when gunfire broke out there. City park rules bar motor vehicle traffic on the point between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m., prohibit glass beverage containers, and require campfires to stay at least 10 feet from plant life.
The land carries deep cultural weight as well. Wisconsin Point was the historic home and a sacred burial site of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa before their forced removal in the 1850s, according to background compiled on Wikipedia. More recently, wildlife biologists recorded the first nesting piping plover on the point in nearly 50 years in August 2026, following extensive dune habitat restoration, as reported by FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul — a sign of the site's fragile ecological recovery even as it remains a busy public recreation spot.
Cross-Border Policing in the Twin Ports
The response illustrates how law enforcement in the Duluth-Superior Twin Ports region routinely leans on interstate mutual aid to move specialized resources like K-9 units, armored vehicles, and tactical teams across the Minnesota-Wisconsin border during critical incidents, according to the City of Duluth. The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office maintains six active K-9 teams based out of its regional offices in Duluth, Virginia, and Hibbing, covering unincorporated county areas and backing up municipal departments like Superior's when specialized skills are needed.
It remains unclear what charges, if any, Douglas County prosecutors in Wisconsin may file against the suspect, and whether the recovered handgun was legally owned or tied to any prior criminal activity. Those details had not been addressed in official statements as of this report.
