http://www.jsonline.com/news/crime/125711683.html
A criminal suspect is in critical condition after he “violently resisted arrest” and a Milwaukee police officer shot him Saturday afternoon, police said. It’s the ninth time a Milwaukee police officer has shot someone this year.
A uniformed Milwaukee police officer on patrol saw the suspect coming over the top of a fence at United Milwaukee Scrap at 3027 W. Concordia Ave. with a large suitcase in his hand around 1:40 p.m., police said. The officer followed the suspect to the 3300 block of N. 30th St. and attempted to question him about what he was doing in the scrap yard and why he was climbing over the fence with the suitcase, police said.
As the officer escorted the suspect to his squad car, the suspect began to resist the officer, tearing his badge and radio microphone from his shirt and wrestling him to the ground, causing cuts and scrapes to the officer’s arms. Police quoted one witness who described the suspect as attempting to disarm the officer.
The suspect ran between two houses and the officer ran after him and again attempted to arrest him.
“During a violent struggle, the officer believed he was about to be rendered unconscious, and fearing for his life, drew his service weapon and discharged it, striking the suspect,” police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said in a news release.
The suspect is in critical condition at a hospital, Schwartz.
The man is 42 years old and has an extensive criminal arrest history on accusations of drug offenses, battery, theft, domestic violence, resisting arrest, escape, criminal damage to property and burglary, she said. He is wanted on a warrant for felony violation of parole and is currently on parole on a substantial battery conviction.
The officer is 37 and assigned to District 5. He has 15 years of service with the police department.
As a standard operating procedure, the incident is under investigation by the police department and the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office. The officer who discharged his weapon was placed on administrative duty pending the completion of the investigation. The district attorney will make the final determination in the incident.
Milwaukee police are on pace to hit a six-year record for officer-involved shootings. Officers have shot nine so far this year – the same number as in all of 2008. Last month, one suspect died when shot by an officer. Officers shot 11 people last year.
