MILWAUKEE — Three Milwaukee Police officers have been placed on administrative duty after a shootout Tuesday night that left one person dead.
Officials said the incident happened near 33rd and Cherry shortly after 9 p.m. Officers responded to the area for a ShotSpotter call.
When police arrived on the scene, their squad cars were struck by gunfire. Milwaukee police said the officers got out of their vehicles and found three suspects, at least one of whom had a gun.
Police shot back at the suspects. A 40-year-old man was hit several times and police attempted life-saving measures. The man was taken to the hospital where he later died.
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office identified the man as Sherman Solomon.
Watch: Milwaukee police hold press conference following shootout
One weapon was recovered from the scene. It was equipped with a drum magazine. According to Police Chief Jeffrey Norman, a drum magazine typically holds 30-50 rounds and discharges the bullets quickly.
Police are now looking for the two other suspects involved, as they fled the scene during the shootout.
The three officers involved have been placed on administrative duty, per department protocol. MPD said the officers are a 30-year-old man with 11 years of service, a 34-year-old man with eight years of service, and a 49-year-old man with 15 years of service.
People who live in the neighborhood say they never heard so many gunshots. They rushed to take cover.
“I dropped to the ground and yelled for my mom to make sure she was okay downstairs,” one neighbor told TMJ4 News. “Then we looked outside, and the man was lying in the street outside of our house, right by our car which was also hit by bullets."
“I heard at least 20 shots,” said Jimmy Fox, who was out cleaning up the neighborhood Wednesday morning. “The scary part is anyone could get caught in that crossfire. I worry for my family every day. It’s gotten to be too much.”
“We want the community to know that we’re here, part of this community,” said Pastor John Davis with New Hope Church of God in Christ who is working to stop the violence and reach the people causing it. “We really want to bring more people back into faith, service, and Christianity. We’re really trying to combat gun violence as a whole, but it’s really pervasive right now.”
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
