Milwaukee detectives shoot, injure man after he pointed a gun at them, police say

Milwaukee police shot and injured a man Tuesday night who pointed a gun at two detectives, according to a statement from the department Wednesday.

The “critical incident” was not originally given that designation Tuesday night as police said they had reason to believe the 28-year-old man was not hit. The department sent a statement late on Tuesday night that stated, “It does not appear anyone was struck by gunfire at this time.”

The police shooting took place shortly before 7:30 p.m. on the 1500 block of West Hopkins Avenue.

The department said Wednesday that two detectives were riding in an unmarked squad when they observed a man grab another person and point a firearm at that person’s head.

The detectives stopped and exited the squad and ordered the man on the ground but instead the man pointed his gun at the detectives, according to police.

Police said Tuesday that the detectives and the man then “exchanged gunfire.” But in the statement released Wednesday there is no mention of the man firing shots. The department said in a follow-up statement that Tuesday’s information was “preliminary” and sent out by a night watch commander.

After the man pointed the gun at them, both the detectives fired at the man, according to police. The man then fled the scene. It was initially believed that the man wasn’t hit but police found a non-fatal gunshot injury when they arrested him on Wednesday and he was transported to a hospital.

Surveillance footage obtained by WISN-TV from a gas station near the intersection of North Teutonia Avenue and West Locust Street shows that around the time of the incident a man could be seen running with a gun in his hand before pointing a gun toward something off-camera. A short time later, a police cruiser arrives on the scene.

The detectives are a 50-year-old man with more than 16 years of service and a 40-year-old man with more than 10 years of service. Both detectives will be placed on administrative duty, per department policy.

Police will release video from the incident in about 45 days. That timeframe is a department goal after a Milwaukee County judge temporarily blocked an approved policy from taking effect, which would have required the department to release footage in 15 days.