“This is a very, very, very difficult time for our city, for the Milwaukee Police Department, and obviously for the family.”
Those words came from Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett after a Milwaukee Police officer died from gunshot wounds Wednesday morning.
The officer, who was 35 years old, died of his injuries after the shooting at about 9:20 a.m. near the corner of South 12th and West Dakota Avenues.
“I am filled with sorrow for this needless loss, and I am filled with anger toward the individual who took the life of this brave police officer,” said the Mayor. The officer was in his 17th year on the force.
“He was doing his job. He was working to make our city safer, and he died.”
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s office says that the officer was pronounced dead at Froedtert Hospital after being taken there from the scene of the shooting. An autopsy was scheduled for Thursday.
A suspect, who is 26 years old, is in custody.
This is the third time in seven months that a Milwaukee Police officer has died in the line of duty. Officer Charles Irvine, Jr. was killed in a rollover crash in June. Officer Michael Michalski died in a shooting on the city’s north side in late July.
The officer was “well loved by everyone in the department, and was obviously part of a tight-knit unit, the tactical enforcement unit,” said Assistant Chief Michael Brunson.
“We are deeply impacted by this loss…we are asking for prayers and support from all of our city residents.”
TODAY’S TMJ4 also reports Zablocki School, near the scene, was placed on lockdown, but the lockdown has been lifted. Other parochial schools were also on lockdown. Neighbors said they heard shots fired.
The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office, the Wisconsin Department of Justice and federal authorities were called to the scene as well.
“It seems like a cliche to say these officers put their life on the line. This is not a cliche,” said Alderman Donovan.
“This is a sad day for that neighborhood, the police department and a community as a whole,” said fellow Alderman Tony Zielinski, who represents that district.
“We must remember the sacrifices they make for us,” added the Mayor.
“This is the third time in eight months that I’ve had to stand at a podium and talk about the loss of a life of a police officer…we need all residents of this community, all residents of this state, to be thankful and appreciative of every single law enforcement official in this state.”
Check back for more details as they come in to us.