Milwaukee Police Department Office of Media and Communications
Oct. 28 - A Milwaukee Police officer shot a 30-year-old drug suspect as the man drove a van at officers attempting to stop his vehicle and arrest him for drug dealing. The incident occurred at 11:19 p.m. in the area of N. 19th St. and W. Capitol Dr. on Tuesday, October 27, 2009.
During Tuesday night’s patrol, uniformed officers from District 5 were saturating the area regarding ongoing concerns, including drug activity and violent crime. In the 4000 block of N. 19th St., officers observed what they believed to be a hand-to-hand drug transaction by a person in a van. One officer parked his squad and began to approach the driver’s side of the van on foot as his partner approached the passenger side. As the officers approached, they observed the driver making furtive movements and partially standing in the seat as if concealing something.
The driver suddenly began backing up the van toward the officers who were behind it. Believing the officers behind the van were in danger of great bodily harm, the officer on the passenger side of the van discharged his weapon, striking the driver. The suspect’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. No officers were injured in the incident.
Inside the van, police recovered a significant amount of drugs packaged for sale, cash and paraphernalia commonly used in drug sales.
The suspect has an arrest record with the Milwaukee Police Department for drug possession and sexual assault. He is currently under arrest.
The officer who discharged his weapon is 35 years old with nearly five years of service. He is assigned to District 5.
As is standard operating procedure, the incident is under investigation by the Milwaukee Police Department and the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office, and the officer was placed on administrative duty pending the completion of the investigation. The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office will make the final determination in the incident.
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