WAUWATOSA — The Wauwatosa Police Department responded to what it calls "false information and rumours" about protests outside the home where Officer Joseph Mensah was staying on Aug. 8.
"What occurred Saturday night was not an organized or peaceful protest. It was a targeted, planned act of violence against one of our police officers and our community," a press release from the police department said.
This is in response to State Representative David Bowen. The Milwaukee politician said that he was at the protests and claimed Mensah provoked the crowd. Wauwatosa Police and Mensah both said that it was a violent protest.
TMJ4 News spoke with Mensah off camera after the incident. He said that he felt like the protesters wanted to kill him. Wauwatosa police reported that members of the crowd tried assaulting Mensah and one even fired shots at him.
On Saturday, Aug. 8, protesters surrounded the house officer Mensah was staying at. Mensah is the officer under investigation for his involvement in three separate fatal shootings in the past five years. Two of those incidents have been ruled as justifiable. The most recent one is still under investigation.
Bowen said Saturday night he saw Mensah trying to fight peaceful protesters like Bowen himself.
"No one tried to kill him or his girlfriend. That's a lie. No one tried to enter his home. That's a lie. There weren't several shots fired. Another lie. No protestor shot at the back door. That's the biggest lie. Joseph Mensah chose to engage with a protestor, and pulled the trigger on that individual’s firearm," Bowen said.
In the press release from WPD, they said they are investigating the incident, and "arrests will be made".
