Woman who shot herself after WisPIC incident dies, medical examiner says

Hours-long police search Tuesday ends with woman turning gun on self

MADISON, Wis. — The medical examiner said Wednesday morning that the woman who shot herself in a wooded area on Madison’s west side Tuesday has died.

University of Wisconsin Police Department spokesman Marc Lovicott said S. Jean Gibson shot herself after she was found near Research Park Boulevard Tuesday in a wooded area with waist-high weeds. The incident began hours earlier when police put out an alert for residents to avoid the area.

A News 3 photographer at the scene said he heard a gunshot at about 3:30 p.m., just a few seconds after mounted police entered a wooded area where Gibson was hiding.

Lovicott said mounted police found Gibson, and they talked to her before she shot herself in the head.

“It’s a very thick, weedy area, about as high as your waist, and it was very hard for our K-9s, even the ATVs to get through the area,” Lovicott said. “Obviously the horses sit much higher up and can see further in, further down into the brush area, so to my understanding, that’s when she was found. Officers actually found her, and that’s the point she decided to fire the weapon.”

Gibson initially survived but suffered life-threatening injuries. She later died, the Dane County Medical Examiner told News 3.

At about 9:20 a.m. Tuesday, UWPD advised people to avoid the Research Park Boulevard area due to a report of a suicidal woman who was possibly armed. Police identified the woman as Gibson, who is in her 70s. Gibson claimed she had a gun and threatened to use it.

She was reportedly seen leaving the Wisconsin Psychiatric Institute & Clinics building Tuesday morning. Lovicott said Gibson was previously a patient at the clinic and was told not to return because she made threatening comments.

The WisPIC building was evacuated and all patient appointments at that building were canceled Tuesday, a UW Health spokeswoman said. The sleep clinic, which is also in the WisPIC building, reopened Tuesday at 6 p.m.