MILWAUKEE – A 43-year-old homeless man known as Jehovah was killed in King Park after a shooting involving police officers from Columbus, Ohio Tuesday afternoon. The officers were in Milwaukee as part of a large law enforcement presence for the Republican National Convention.
Witnesses told different accounts of the events leading up to it. Chelsea Norwood said there were over a dozen shots fired.
“I saw the police open fire on two individuals having a fist fight,” Norwood told WMTJ. “There were about 16 shots.”
Christina Kugler said it was a calm setting before police showed up: “He (Jehovah) wasn’t doing anything. He was walking away.”
According to Iesha Harris, there were 20 shots fired: “They let off 20 rounds.”
But Mark Walker said it was much fewer: “I don’t know why they shot him…seven times.”
The City of Columbus Division of Police released body worn camera video of the incident Tuesday night.
After the shooting, King Park was blocked off with yellow police tape. Officers maintained the perimeter, some of them on horseback.
This is the scene at the intersection of 14th and McKinley, near King Park. One person is dead after a shooting involving an officer from Columbus, Ohio. This is a developing story. pic.twitter.com/8jRTbzrFEt
— Jack Graue (@JackgraueMKE) July 16, 2024
Despite witness disagreements over what happened, those who knew him had some consensus of what Jehovah was like.
“The dude didn’t mess with nobody,” Walker said. “He kept to himself.”
Harris said Jehovah was her friend: “He was sweet. He was a young man, and he never did nothing to nobody.”
2024 RNC COVERAGE FROM THE 620 WTMJ NEWS TEAM:
- Sweltering heat & humidity welcome RNC delegates to Milwaukee
- County Executive David Crowley using RNC as an ‘opportunity to learn’
- Political Power Hour: Rep. Bryan Steil on what Wisconsin voters want in November
- Man shot, killed by Columbus, OH officer in King Park, just outside Milwaukee’s RNC Perimeter
- Hovde, Grothman, Lindell, Toney & Chergosky join a packed edition of Wisconsin’s Afternoon News for RNC Day 1
DECISION WISCONSIN LIVE BLOG: RNC 2024 Day 2 — Exclusives w/ Ramaswamy, Hovde, Jim Jordan & more + Security Checks Speed Up
