One former Milwaukee police officer and one currently employed by the department have been charged in connection to the death of Keishon Thomas inside District Five last February.
Thomas died in his cell after being found unresponsive just before 6 p.m. on February 23 2022. He was pulled over by police for a traffic violation and arrested on a warrant related to other traffic violations.
Thomas also told officers that he had ingested drugs after being taken into custody. This occurred twice while he was being processed.
According to the criminal complaint, former officer Donald Kreuger failed to provide adequate medical attention and current officer Marco Lopez falsified logs to show he checked on Thomas while he was in custody.
The two men are charged with abuse of a person in custody and misconduct in office. Lopez is currently on full suspension from his duties.
Lopez is accused of falsifying his cell check logbook at least 10 times. During those times, the complaint says surveillance video from inside District Five shows him talking to other officers, playing online videos on a computer, and painting a small object.
Kreuger is accused of failing to call an ambulance despite saying he was going to and knowing that Thomas had ingested drugs.
Ben Crump and Steven Hart, attorneys who are representing the Thomas family, issued the following statement:
“Keishon’s death could have been prevented if the officers who were responsible for him at the time of his arrest followed the protocol. Keishon’s family will never know if he could have been saved by proper medical attention. Officer Lopez lied about following protocol and checking on the inmate he was responsible for, and Krueger didn’t give Keishon the medical attention he obviously needed when he saw him dry heave. The role of police officers is to help people, but when Keishon needed help the most, he was ignored and left to die.”
MPD also released a statement on Friday:
“The Milwaukee Police Department holds all members to the highest degree of integrity and if any member violates the code of conduct they will be held accountable. Our members must not discredit what this department stands for, particularly when taking an oath to preserve and protect life. The Milwaukee Police Department extends its deepest sympathies to the Thomas family on the loss of their loved one.”
If convicted, Lopez and Kreuger could each face up to 3 years, 6 months in prison and could be fined up to $10,000.
