MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee man has been charged after police say he entered MPD district 5 and opened fire. Officers then pursued him down the street where they shot and injured him, authorities say.
Darreon Parker Bell is facing one count of attempted first-degree intentional homicide, use of a dangerous weapon in addition to seven counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety following the February 25 incident.
According to a criminal complaint released Wednesday, Bell entered district 5 with a gun to ask about his friend, Keishon Thomas, who died in custody a week earlier.
He approached the front desk where an officer was sitting and asked about Thomas' death. The officer informed Bell he had no information, which Bell said made him angry.
Officials say that's when Bell removed his gun from his pocket and shot one round at the ground.
The officer and several other officers behind him got down on the ground. Thomas backed away from the desk and partition in front of him and the officer stood to look above the counter.
At the time, the complaint says Bell fired again, shattering the glass partition separating him from an officer. Bell fired a third shot toward the counter. Another officer then came out from a work area and fired three shots at Bell.
Bell left the station on foot. He was chased by several officers who demanded that he drop his gun. He continued to point it at police, who then shot Bell and took him into custody.
In an interview following his arrest, Bell said he went into the department hoping the officers would shoot and kill him. He said he had not been in a good place mentally, due to the death of his friend, Thomas.
Waukesha Police are still investigating Thomas' death.
In an interview with TMJ4, Bell's family suspected he went in with the intention of being killed. They said he had been struggling due to recent deaths in the family and Thomas' death.
"He didn’t really want to live anymore. We were telling him that we was going to get answers [about Thomas' death]," said Jr., Bell's uncle. "But when you messed up in the mind it’s hard."
If convicted, he could face up to 152 years, 6 months in prison and could be fined up to $175,000.
