Ben Randecker Obituary, Cuba City Wisconsin Death: Beloved Father Passed Away at 40 After Township of Smelser Shooting

Ben Randecker, 40, of the Cuba City, Wisconsin, area, is being remembered following a fatal shooting in the Town of Smelser that claimed the lives of a man and woman on Saturday, September 19, 2026.

The Grant County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called shortly after 1:28 p.m. after receiving a report of two people with gunshot wounds outside a residence near a vehicle. Responding officers found a man and woman at the scene. The woman was pronounced dead, while the injured man was taken to Southwest Health Center in Platteville before being transferred to a Madison hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

Authorities said the two victims were known to one another and described the incident as isolated, with no continuing threat to the wider community. Investigators from the sheriff’s office and the Grant County Coroner’s Office continued working to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

At the time of the initial public statements, officials had not released the victims’ identities while family notifications were being completed. Subsequent reports and memorial information have identified the male victim as Randecker, although a matching funeral-home obituary was not yet visible in the major local obituary listings reviewed.

The circumstances of the shooting, including what led to the gunfire and the relationship between the two victims, remain subject to the investigation. Authorities have not publicly established a motive in the information currently available.

Randecker’s reported death has left family and friends mourning a father whose life ended suddenly in the Smelser Township incident. Additional information about his family, funeral arrangements and the investigation may become available as relatives and authorities release further details.

For now, the confirmed public record establishes that two people died following the September 19 shooting near Cuba City, while investigators continue to examine what happened.