Milwaukee officer fatally shot in struggle with robbery suspect, police say

Milwaukee policeman was fatally shot in the early hours of Tuesday morning while responding to a call in one of the city’s southern neighborhoods, authorities confirmed.

The officer, whose name has not been shared publicly, was 37 and in his fourth year with the Milwaukee Police Department. Along with other officers assigned to the city’s Fourth District, he was dispatched to an intersection near Lincoln Village around 1:15 a.m. to pursue a suspect wanted in connection with a robbery that had occurred about two hours earlier, said said Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman. at a press conference on Tuesday morning.

When police arrived on the scene, Norman said the suspect ignored orders and fled the area on foot. The officer who was killed had caught up to the suspect and an ensuing struggle between them led to the suspect discharging his sidearm and firing shots which struck the officer, the police chief said . The officer then discharged his weapon, Norman said, and the suspect was hit. Their exchange ended with the death of the suspect, who was only identified as a 19-year-old individual. The police chief said an investigation into the cause of death is still ongoing.

The responding officer suffered life-threatening injuries during the struggle and later died in a hospital.

“The heart of the Milwaukee Police Department is heavy. My heart is heavy,” said Norman, who was visibly moved during the press conference. “One of our best, who put on that uniform and put on that badge and went to work last night and made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our community. Milwaukee, we need your prayers. We need your support. .”

“To the men and women of the Milwaukee Police Department, I see you. I’m proud of you. The work you do does not go unnoticed, and right now our community needs you,” continued the chief of the police. “Now is the time to step down and do the work that needs to be done in our community. The violence must stop. The violence must stop. Everyone has a role to play in keeping the community safe.”

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson also appeared at the press conference, saying the responding officer “shouldn’t be dead.” Johnson echoed the police chief’s sentiment regarding gun violence in the city during his own remarks.

“Make sure you check on your parents,” he said in comments to Milwaukee residents. “If they’re out there doing dirt, doing bad things, messing around with guns, hold them accountable so we don’t see this kind of activity happening in our town. Enough of that. Enough of that.”