Good Samaritan recovering after being shot

• The family of Andrew Maltbey said he is recovering "remarkably well."
• The 23-year-old Appleton man was shot after he stopped to help an Appleton police officer.
• Maltbey's high school football coach described him as a tough, hard-working young man.

APPLETON - The 23-year-old Appleton man who was shot after he stopped Saturday morning to help an Appleton police officer is on the mend.

The family of Andrew Maltbey released a statement to USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin on Wednesday.

"Andrew is mending remarkably well. We are so very proud of him and so very thankful that he and officer (Stephanie) Wiener will recover," said the statement released by Maltbey's mother, Heather Lewin. "We are also grateful to family, friends, the community and the Appleton Police Department for their extraordinary support."

Maltbey's former football coach, meanwhile, said the man's fearless decision to come to the aid of the officer is no surprise.

"Andrew was a hard-working kid. He was tough-minded and a great teammate — always out to protect his team and his buddies," said Rob Salm, the Appleton North High School football coach. "I guess the one thing in this situation that kind of carries over is he was fearless. He was never afraid to do whatever needed to be done to help somebody out."

Maltbey was shot in the upper chest early Saturday morning after he and a companion stopped their car in the 900 block of South Kensington Drive to help Wiener, who had confronted Marcus D. Felton, 23, of Appleton, a suspect in two convenience store thefts.

The incident happened about 12:15 a.m. after Wiener identified Felton as the suspect. Wiener and Felton "fought violently for her firearm," Police Chief Todd Thomas said Saturday, before Felton took the gun and shot her in the hip.

Felton fired shots at Maltbey, striking him in the upper chest. Police said Felton then shot himself in the head. He died at the scene.

Maltbey and Wiener underwent surgery and were released from a hospital Sunday and Tuesday, respectively.

Maltbey played outside linebacker for the Lightning football team and was named the Fox Valley Association linebacker of the year as a senior. He graduated from North in 2011.

Salm said he lost touch with Maltbey after he graduated from North, but he'll always remember his strong work ethic.

"He would bike to school at 6 a.m. through rain and snow — it didn't matter — because he came from humble beginnings and worked tirelessly through his time here," Salm said.

Jen Zettel: 920-996-7268, or jzettel@postcrescent.com; on Twitter @jenzettel