MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee County DA cleared two Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) officers involved in a shooting that injured two armed people on Cinco De Mayo.
According to DA John Chisholm, Officer Andrew Langer and Officer Gregory Rupnick were among other members of MPD conducting crowd control near Scott Street and Cesar Chavez Drive on Friday, May 5 around 11 p.m. Hundreds of people were gathered in the area for Cinco De Mayo celebrations.
The officers heard multiple gunshots and saw a person, later identified as Hector Silva, 22, outside firing 3-4 shots in the air. Silva then got in a car and quickly exited it as officers approached him, ordering him to drop his weapon. Officer Rupnick was one of several officers pursuing Silva on foot as he ran into a nearby residential area while still holding a firearm, according to the DA.
As Rupnick pursued Silva, he noticed Silva begin to turn toward another officer.
"Ultimately, Rupnick feared for the safety of his fellow officer who was getting closer to Silva, so Rupnick fired a shot with his service rifle, which non-fatally wounded Silva," the DA's clearance letter states.
A Glock .40 caliber with an extended magazine was recovered.
Around the same time, Officer Langer also saw Deon Nabors, 17, within the crowd, firing seven shots in "rapid automatic fashion."
Langer approached Nabors and ordered him to stop. While Nabors was still in possession of a firearm, the DA says Langer shot him. A Glock 9mm handgun with an extended magazine and a full auto switch on the rear rendering it fully automatic when fired, was recovered. When discovered, it was still loaded with 25 rounds of ammunition.
The DA's office said it is closing its review of both Langer and Rupnick's use of force, clearing them.
Nabors is charged in Milwaukee County Circuit court with multiple felony charges from that night.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
