The individual involved in the UWM police shooting this morning was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition, according to police.
The shooting in the loading dock between Mellencamp Hall and the Union parking structure resulted in two UWM police and the involved individual being sent to the hospital this morning. The shooting occurred between 6:00 and 7:00 this morning near the intersection of Prospect Avenue and Kenwood Boulevard.
An individual was reported sleeping inside the Fine Arts Complex and was approached by two police officers. A physical altercation ensued, and an officer shot the individual upon discovering the man had a weapon.
One officer was taken away for minor medical attention due to blood and a pre-existing hand cut.
No faculty, staff or students were injured during the incident.
UWM student and custodian Joshua Tomaszewski said he witnessed a person being loaded into the back of an ambulance while receiving medical care by members of the Milwaukee Fire Department near the loading dock.
“This is the first shooting at UWM I’ve ever been in. It was definitely scary, but it was a silent kind of scary for me,” said Tomaszewski, who arrived on campus at 6:00 a.m. for work.
Tomaszewski said he is thankful for the training and school-shooting drills provided by UWM because they helped him remain calm and aided in student and faculty safety.
Police blocked off Kenwood Boulevard between Downer Avenue and Farwell Avenue and had at least two-dozen police vehicles on scene including one MPD Incident Command Unit as well as at least one MFD fire truck and three ambulances. Several plain-clothed officers carrying leather-bound notebooks arrived on-scene in unmarked vehicles around 8:30 a.m.
UWM SAFE sent out an alert at 7:09 a.m. telling students about a shooting incident near the fine arts loading dock and advised students to seek shelter and avoid the area. Another SAFE alert was sent out 7:22 a.m. telling students that the subject was no longer at large, but people should still stay away from the area.
UWM Police chief Joe LeMire gave a statement at noon on Downer Avenue and Kenwood Boulevard.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and UWM Police are turning the investigation over to the Milwaukee Area Investigative Team in accordance to the standard guidelines for an officer-involved shooting. Oak Creek Police Department will be the lead agency in the investigation.
Wisconsin Department of Justice was on the scene at the time LeMire gave statements.
Investigators urge witnesses who may have heard or seen anything related to this case to come forward. Witnesses should contact Lt. David Ashenhurst of the Oak Creek Police Department at 414-766-7631. Oak Creek police will provide all future statements regarding this incident while the investigation is underway.
The university is wielding some serious POWER. By this time, if this happened anywhere else in the Milwaukee area, you know the cops names, you know whether they’ve been put on leave, you know whether they were wearing body cameras, and whether those cameras were left on or turned off. You know the name of the victim and what hospital he was sent to and a continued update of his condition. All we know is that the victim was a man.
They kept the scene taped off for over 5 hours. What were they doing? The victim was shot and incapacitated, sent to a hospital. .Did we already forget about Dontrel Hamilton? U.S. police shoot 3 men every day. We just made a third of that stat.
Custodians have said that if they are directed to call the police when they come upon homeless people. This directive must change.
Why was the Department of Justice there? Is this protocol? What’s the Milwaukee Area Investigative Team? What agencies/persons does it consist of?
I encourage you to continue to write about this. .