MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee Police officer is recovering in the hospital after being shot by an armed suspect while responding to a domestic violence-related call. The officer is expected to survive.
Law enforcement experts say domestic violence calls are among the most dangerous responses for police officers for a number of reasons.
Dangerous, emotional, and volatile are three words retired Milwaukee Police Captain Andra Williams uses to describe what it was like responding to domestic violence calls throughout his 30-year law enforcement career.
"You go into a house, you don't know what's in there,” he said. “A lot of times when we're investigating something, we're out on the street, we're out in a neutral environment, but when you go into someone's house, they may have weapons, knives stashed under the sofa cushion, guns anywhere, you have no idea.”
Milwaukee Police respond to a staggering number of domestic violence battery calls on an annual basis. M.P.D. data shows there were 7,911 of those calls for service in 2023 which breaks down to about 22 a day.
“What are the first things police do when they arrive at a domestic violence call?” TMJ4 reporter Ben Jordan asked.
“We're listening, we may hear arguing still going on, you may hear glass breaking and stuff like that and then once you get to the door, obviously, you knock on the door, you get in. You separate the two parties,” Williams replied.
According to FBI data, domestic incidents are among the most deadly types of responses for officers. Between 2011 and 2020, 43 officers were killed while responding to domestic violence or domestic disturbance calls.
One of whom was Milwaukee Police Officer Michael Michalski who was shot and killed in 2018 while trying to arrest a convicted felon who was wanted on domestic violence and drug offenses.
Under Wisconsin law, police are required to make a domestic violence-related arrest if the victim displays evidence of physical abuse or if it is likely abuse will continue.
"There should be ways we can prevent it, but unfortunately we haven't been able to do that,” Williams said.
Milwaukee police data shows 23 people were killed in domestic violence homicides in 2022, which was up from 17 the year prior. Williams urges anyone who’s suffering to reach out for help.
Earlier this year, Milwaukee Police redeployed seven officers to focus on high-risk domestic violence cases after a spike in domestic violence-related homicides. It’s unclear at this point whether one of those specialized teams responded to the scene of the shooting on Tuesday.
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