Family and friends of the man shot and killed by a Wauwatosa Police officer two weeks ago, came together to grieve Sunday.
Jay Anderson would have turned 26 on the Fourth of July. But instead of celebrating his birthday, his family is trying to get answers about his death.
"Milwaukee wake up!" said Gloria Speed, Jay's aunt. "Think about your own child, your own son, your own daughter. Think hard. This is not just about getting justice for Jay. It's for every child in Milwaukee like Jay. He was a son, a friend, a father. He should still be here."
Anderson died in the place where his loved ones gathered together to hold hands and pray. Anderson was sitting in his car around 3 a.m. on June 23 in Madison Park when he was shot and killed by the officer.
According to investigators, the officer saw that Jay had a handgun in his possession and feared for his life. But authorities have not elaborated on exactly why the officer feared for his life.
That's what many of Anderson’s family are questioning.
"We want to see squad car footage," said community activist, Tory Lowe. "Jay Anderson didn't do anything wrong and he was shot to death. A black man kills someone, they call him a murderer. A police officer does it, and they say it's an officer involved shooting."
The officer was not injured, and is now on administrative leave. Meanwhile, Jay's family vows not to rest until they get justice.
"We don't want this to happen to any other family," Speed says. "Our family has been devastated. It's a travesty. We need to correct this. We need to get this handled right away. What happened is not right. The fact that we're not getting any details as to why Jay was shot is not right."
Wauwatosa Police are not commenting on the case. Per standard protocol, an outside agency must handle the investigation, and in this case, its’ the Milwaukee Police Department.
