MILWAUKEE — After an officer was shot in the leg on the City’s north side, a tense standoff took place for roughly three hours Tuesday, ending with no further injuries to officers, the suspect, or the four children inside the home.
Police were called to the home near 18th & Fairmount Tuesday morning just before 9:30 a.m. for a domestic violence incident. Milwaukee Police say two different shootouts occurred between the 25-year-old male suspect and officers, in the front and back of the home. During the second volley of shots, the suspect hit an officer in the leg.
That officer is a 38-year-old man with over 16 years of service. He is expected to survive.
Police Chief Jeffrey Norman credited the department’s crisis negotiators for a bad situation not getting worse.
“We have a great crisis negotiating unit,” Norman said. “We train across the state, across the country. I know that these individuals who work are very experienced and it goes to the professionalism of what was done in regards to not only have the patience but being able to have this particular dialogue and having a safe and great response, or the outcome that we have. Four children were able to see their mother and an individual who did not have to be harmed.”
A neighbor shared a video of the tense moments between crisis negotiators and the suspect.
“We want to hear your side of the story, ok?” an officer is heard saying. “It involves you keeping yourself safe, you keeping your kids safe. Tell me what’s going on.”
The cell phone video shows the suspect inside the front doorway of the home, half inside and half outside. It appears he’s holding a long gun of sorts, pointed towards the ground.
“Lower the gun and I’ll talk to you,” the suspect says.
“Alright, where are you going to put that gun? Tell me,” The officers say. “Put it on the floor?”
“I’ll put it right here on the floor. Put that gun down and I’ll talk to you. That’s all you got to do.”
“Our guns are lowered,” The officer says. “Put it down and talk to me. It makes it a lot easier.”
The conversation continues on for several minutes in the recorded video, at times escalating before officers are able to calm things down.
“This is what y’all want!” The suspect says. “This is what y’all want!”
“I want your kids to have a dad,” one of the officers says.
“This is what y’all want bro? You want a show. This is what y’all want.”
Eventually, the man releases the four children from inside the home, unscathed. He would later surrender himself to police as well.
Milwaukee Police say charges will be referred to the District Attorney’s Office in the coming days.
