MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Police Department released video footage showing a man pistol-whipping an officer who was driving to work, prompting a fatal officer-involved shooting, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
The incident occurred the morning of Oct. 9 when the officer and the man were involved in a traffic dispute, according to the report. While approaching a construction zone that required merging into a single lane, the man maneuvered his vehicle into the officer’s lane without signaling, the officer’s personal dashcam footage shows. Neither driver yields, and the vehicles collide.
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The footage then shows both vehicles pulling over several yards ahead. The man exits his car with his hand in his jacket pocket. The officer, not in uniform, also steps out. They meet at the front of the vehicles, where the man appears to accuse the officer of hitting his car.
Moments later, the man is seen pulling a firearm from his pocket and striking the officer in the face before pointing the weapon at him. The officer responds by firing several shots from his duty weapon, according to the department. The man stumbles to the front of his vehicle, briefly reemerges, and the officer fires again before identifying himself as law enforcement. The man died at the scene.
It is unclear in the video if the suspect fired any shots. Police Chief Jeffrey Norman previously said there was an exchange of gunfire.
Per department policy, footage of police shootings is typically shown to the family of those involved within 48 hours and released to the public within 15 days. However, officials opted to release the video early in response to widespread misinformation on social media, according to the report. The man’s family and their attorney supported the decision, stating the video showed the officer acted in self-defense.
“The [family] has seen the truth for themselves …” Attorney B’Ivory LaMarr said in a statement. “They are choosing truth over rumor — transparency over division.”
The West Allis Police Department is leading the investigation.
