MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office issued criminal charges in connection to a standoff on Fairmount Ave. near Lincoln Park on Tuesday, January 2, that involved four children being taken hostage for hours and left a Milwaukee Police Officer in the hospital after being shot in the leg.
Harrel J. Martin has been charged with seven counts of Attempt First Degree Intentional Homicide, Use of a Dangerous Weapon, one count of Strangulation and Suffocation, Domestic Abuse, Infliction of Physical Pain or Injury, one count of First Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety, Domestic Abuse, Infliction of Physical Pain or Injury and one count of Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.
If convicted, he could face up to 483 years, 6 months in prison and could be fined up to $60,000.
In a statement, MPD said that Officer Dan Morrell remains at a local hospital, recovering. According to the GoFundMe campaign organized by his sister, Morrell suffered a fracture to his left femur and nerve damage.
Martin surrendered himself to Milwaukee-area law enforcement after barricading himself inside a house with those four children. MPD said the call began as a domestic incident that escalated when Morrell shot at officers.
According to the criminal complaint, Morrell was threatening the mother of three of the children, who is eight months pregnant, with a gun involving a dispute over text messages and her hiding his smart watch. The complaint says he beat and choked her and threatened her with an AR-15 rifle before she was able to get away and call 911.
There were no reported injuries suffered by the children involved.