A Wisconsin man could face a prison sentence of up to 10 years after being accused of running over a retired priest who was crossing the street with a walker. The incident allegedly occurred while the man was taking and sending selfies on Snapchat, according to prosecutors.

Clay Schueffner, aged 26 and a resident of St. Cloud, entered a no-contest plea on Monday for the charge of homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle. This stems from a tragic event in February 2024 that resulted in the death of 93-year-old David H. Gau. Prosecutors say Gau’s body was violently flung through the air, landing on the pavement and sustaining fatal injuries.

According to a criminal complaint accessed by Law&Crime, Schueffner initially informed police he was distracted by the GPS on his mounted cellphone when the accident happened. However, phone records revealed that Schueffner was actually using Snapchat just one second prior to hitting Gau, the complaint noted.

The complaint detailed, “Schueffner’s phone captured three selfies of him in the driver’s seat, which were sent to three different Snapchat users at 1:39:53 p.m., 1:39:57 p.m., and 1:40:00 p.m. Shortly after, at 1:40:18 p.m., Schueffner opened and viewed a Snapchat video.”

Authorities claim that the timestamps of these activities align with footage from surveillance cameras, which captured Schueffner’s GMC Sierra colliding with Gau. The video reportedly shows the vehicle making no effort to brake or swerve to avoid the pedestrian.

Schueffner was “looking at Snapchat on his phone and not looking at the road in front of him,” according to cops. “At no point in the [Schueffner’s] statements to police did he mention that he was utilizing his other phone or utilizing Snapchat,” the affidavit said.

Schueffner allegedly told cops at the scene that he works in construction and was on a job near Froedtert Hospital, which is approximately one mile away from where Gau was hit. He stated that he was driving eastbound on Wisconsin Avenue and was going 42 mph, according to the complaint.

“He thought he better slow down because the speed limit is 35 mph,” police recounted, citing Schueffner’s comments to cops. “[Schueffner] stated that between looking at the speedometer and his GPS, he was looking down for approximately 4 seconds, at which time he looked back up and saw Gau and had no time to react, then he struck Gau.”

Schueffner claimed he slammed on the brakes and stood by with Gau, as other people were already calling 911, according to the complaint. Police said witnesses reported hearing Schueffner make multiple comments about what he said happened after getting out of his truck, including “I looked down at my speedometer” and “I was looking at an address and didn’t see him.”

Surveillance footage showed Gau waiting until traffic was clear and it was “safe to cross,” then began to walk northbound, according to the complaint.

“As Gau gets closer to the center line, [Schueffner’s] blue GMC truck appears on video traveling eastbound,” police said. “Gau appears to attempt to hurry across the street, while the GMC maintains speed and does not swerve to avoid Gau nor does it appear there was any attempt to brake the vehicle, before the vehicle strikes Gau, propelling Gau into the air.”

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Gau was a retired priest who taught Latin and French from 1964 to 1983 while being rector and minister of Marquette University High School in Milwaukee. He was a member of the St. Camillus residential community for seniors, according to the Sentinel.

Schueffner, who was identified by local media outlets as a former Winona State University football player, is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 15, 2026.