Representative image showing police vehicles
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Milwaukee: A man was shot and killed by police officers in a residential neighborhood in Milwaukee, about 1 mile from the Republican National Convention, an official who had been briefed on the situation said.
The officers were from the Columbus, Ohio, police department, part of a contingent of 4,500 officers from across the country who came to Milwaukee to assist local authorities in securing the city during the convention, officials in Milwaukee and Columbus said.
The police officers were riding bicycles on patrol and encountered the man armed with a knife, one official said, adding that at least three officers fired shots.
The shooting occurred in the King Park neighborhood, near a Milwaukee County social services building, a community center and a correctional facility.
Police officers have wide latitude to use deadly force, and the Supreme Court has allowed them to do so when they have a reasonable fear of death or serious injury to themselves or another person.
Karen Domagalski, operations manager for the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, confirmed that her office responded to the area after the death. An autopsy will be performed Wednesday, she said.
Alexi Worley, a spokesperson for the US Secret Service, declined to comment, saying that the shooting occurred outside of the security perimeter and that it was under the jurisdiction of local police.
The Republican convention began in Milwaukee on Monday, drawing some 50,000 people from across the country to nominate former President Donald Trump for the presidency. Law enforcement officials have reported only a handful of arrests in the opening days of the convention.
Milwaukee officials said three people were arrested Monday, including someone accused of taking signs from demonstrators and another person who was accused of blocking a security checkpoint. Police said they also arrested a man carrying a concealed weapon and wearing a ski mask near the secured area.
After the shooting Tuesday afternoon, a day when the Republicans’ convention theme was “Make America Safe Once Again,” police officers had cordoned off the area to onlookers and news media.
Christina Kugler, 37, and Mark Walker, 49, said they lived in a homeless encampment where the fatally shot man also lived. Walker said he did not know why his friend was shot.
“He stays to himself,” he said, adding that he heard about seven shots.
Milwaukee has long struggled with violent crime, though homicides in the city have been declining recently. The city reported 172 criminal homicides last year, down from 215 in 2022.
So far this year, Milwaukee is on pace to have 19 per cent fewer homicides than it did in 2023 and 41% fewer homicides than it did in 2022.
The King Park area is known for having a long-standing homeless encampment near where the man was killed Tuesday, and police are frequently called to the area when altercations break out, said Alderman Robert Bauman, who represents the neighborhood.
He questioned whether it was appropriate for out-of-town officers to be patrolling residential neighborhoods.
“Our police would have been well familiar with King Park — they might even know the people personally,” he said.
Aurelia Ceja, 26, a leader of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, said community activists had long been concerned about the influx of thousands of police officers from out of state who are helping secure the convention this week.
“Why was deadly force used?” she said.