MILWAUKEE, Wis. — A man was shot and killed Tuesday by police officers from Columbus, Ohio, near 14th and Vliet, just blocks away from the Republican National Convention.
Body camera from Columbus Police (CPD) captured the incident.
We now know the man killed by police is Samuel Sharpe.
Bullet holes are littered across a nearby building from the shooting. It's something some in the community said should've never happened.
Related articles: Ohio police officer shoots and kills man near 14th and Vliet in Milwaukee (tmj4.com)
"Samuel is the man that would come here for showers, he would come here for our winter shelter program," Father Mike Bertram said.
VIDEO: St. Ben's offer for unhoused resources reiterated after deadly police shooting
Bertram's with the Capuchin Community Services and St. Ben's Parish. He too knew Sharpe.
"I took him to the guest house when we were full here last winter, and it was so bitterly cold out, I said 'you cannot walk, you cannot take the distance, ride with me'," Bertram explained.
Bertram and friends of Sharpe said he was homeless and lived near the encampment at King Park.
"The King Park area is largely an area for folks who are homeless, and we will see some of the people here for our evening meal program. Even now during this week of the convention, we are housing folks," Bertram added.
Leading up to the RNC, Bertram said he offered St. Ben's resources to city leaders and police so they were better equipped to engage with the unhoused.
"We also put out word that we are willing to be put at the disposal of law enforcement, so let's say there's a situation that needs to be de-escalated. I mean, many of the poor, many of the homeless, we know personally," Bertram said. "We know them as people, and so we know how to respond to them."
That offer for services, Bertram said, still stands.
"We're here to help you. We wanna partner with you. We wanna compliment your work and just continue the safety of our city. We really wanna give Milwaukee a good name through this time of the convention and if that means really taking care of the poor during this time, then so be it," Bertram added.
Street Angels, which helps the homeless and are familiar with the King Park encampment said they knew Sharpe well. The organization's directors are asking for a thorough and transparent investigation into why out-of-town officers were patrolling the area near 14th and Vliet, so far away from the RNC security perimeter.
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