MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee police officer was shot and injured after a suspect's firearm accidentally went off Friday. This happened moments after the suspect shot and killed himself during a pursuit with officers, Police Chief Jeffery Norman said.
The chief said during a press briefing that officers were searching for a person violating a domestic violence injunction. They found the suspect near 11th and Keefe around 11:54 a.m., approached him, and the man ran. That's when a foot pursuit began, the chief said.
During the pursuit, police say the suspect fired a gun toward the officers. The officers returned fire. No one was injured in this first exchange, the chief said.
The suspect later fired again at the officers, but the officers were busy catching up to the suspect and they did not return fire this time.
The suspect eventually entered a backyard, where Chief Norman says the suspect pointed the gun at his head and shot himself.
Officers arrived and approached his body behind a ballistic shield. As officers turned the suspect over using the shield, the suspect's firearm accidentally discharged, hitting one of the officers.
The chief identified the suspect as a 43-year-old Milwaukee man. He was pronounced dead.
The officer is in the hospital with non-fatal injuries. He is a 36-year-old man with more than five years on the force.
Watch the chief's press briefing below:
The suspect's firearm was recovered, the chief said. MPD's homicide division is investigating.
According to the man's family, he'd skipped court over a domestic violence charge.
"He kept saying, 'I'm tired I'm tired. I'm going through this.' And I used to be like dude, chill. Pray about it," said his sister, Annesha Adams. "But sometimes you're at your breaking point."
Another sister, Alexis Adams, said she believes her brother did not want to go back to prison again.
TMJ4 agreed with the sisters to not yet share their brother's name or image. We confirmed his identity through court records.
A man named Joe Knox said the man running from police kicked in his door and entered his home.
"I'm like man, you gotta get out of here. He's like, 'Man — I just shot at police.' I said, I got kids, you got to get out of my house. you gotta get out of here," said Knox.
Knox said he tried to reason with the man and told him to put down the gun.
That was all shortly before the man ran into Knox's backyard, where, according to police, he shot himself.
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's office said an autopsy is scheduled for Monday.
