Knife-wielding man killed by officers near Republican convention

MILWAUKEE – Five Ohio police officers who were in Milwaukee to assist with security at the Republican National Convention fired shots at a man in a residential neighborhood on July 16 afternoon, killing him, officials said.

The man was holding a knife in each hand and charging at another person when the officers from Columbus, Ohio, intervened, the authorities said. The shooting took place about 1.7km from the Fiserv Forum, where the convention has been under way since July 15.

The Columbus officers, part of a contingent of 4,500 officers who had come to Milwaukee from around the country to help local authorities, were part of a uniformed bicycle patrol unit and were meeting to discuss their daily assignment when the attack took place nearby.

Body camera footage released by the authorities shows that the officers saw the attack unfolding. The officers ran towards the man and shouted repeatedly at him to drop the knife. When he did not, they began firing, and he dropped to the ground.

“This was a situation where somebody’s life was in immediate danger – again, two knives were recovered from this particular situation,” said Chief Jeffrey B. Norman of the Milwaukee police. “Someone’s life was in danger. These officers, who are not from this area, (took it) upon themselves to act to save someone’s life today.”

The authorities did not release the name of the man who died but said he was 43 and a Milwaukee resident.

Police officers from Illinois, Ohio, Maryland and other states have been seen on the streets of downtown Milwaukee this week, directing pedestrians, guarding checkpoints and monitoring protests.

The shooting occurred in the King Park neighborhood, near a Milwaukee County social services building, a community centre and a correctional facility.

US Secret Service spokesperson Alexi Worley declined to comment, saying that the shooting occurred outside of the security perimeter and that it was under the jurisdiction of local police.

The investigation of the shooting would be led by police officers from Greenfield, Wisconsin, a Milwaukee suburb, Mr Norman said. He added that the Columbus officers were cooperating with investigators.

The Republican convention was expected to draw 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 convention’s opening days.

Milwaukee officials said three people were arrested on July 15, 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 on July 16 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.

Ms Christina Kugler, 37, and Mr Mark Walker, 49, said they lived in a homeless encampment where the fatally shot man also lived.

“He stays to himself,” Mr Walker 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 in 2023, down from 215 in 2022. So far in 2024, Milwaukee is on pace to have 19 per cent fewer homicides than it did in 2023 and 41 per cent fewer than in 2022.

The King Park area is known for having a longstanding homeless encampment near where the man was killed on July 16, 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. NYTIMES