Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee officer shot during Cinco de Mayo; man pleads guilty
MILWAUKEE – The man accused of shooting a Milwaukee police officer near Cesar Chavez and Scott on the city’s south side in May reached a plea agreement with prosecutors.
On Thursday, Nov. 7, 27-year-old Mark Courtney Jr. pleaded guilty to two counts of 1st-Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety.
His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2025.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android
Milwaukee police officer shot, wounded near Cesar Chavez and Scott
Case details
Prosecutors initially charged 26-year-old Mark Courtney with first-degree reckless injury and first-degree recklessly endangering safety. The shooting happened near Cesar Chavez and Scott around 11 p.m. that night.
According to a criminal complaint, three officers were monitoring a Cinco de Mayo celebration when they heard multiple gunshots. One of the officers, a 29-year-old man with more than a year of service, felt pain in his leg and realized he’d been shot. The officer was taken to a hospital for treatment and released.
No officers returned fire, police said, and no one else was shot.
A witness told police Courtney and the third person “started to have words” in the restaurant, and they started to go outside to fight, the complaint states. The witness said the third person claimed to have a gun, but they did not see it.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Once in custody, per the complaint, Courtney also described a “minor argument” in the restaurant about cutting in line. He said the person had a gun and, when he saw the person coming back, thought the person “had come back to kill him” – so he decided to defend himself. Prosecutors said the person at no point on video showed a gun.
Courtney said the person never shot back, the complaint states. He also apologized for shooting and wounding the officer, but maintained he acted in self-defense.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee attempted armed robbery, shooting; police seek to ID shooter
MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee police are asking for the public’s help to identify and locate a man wanted in connection with an attempted armed robbery and shooting that occurred near 76th and Good Hope on Friday Dec. 20, 2024.
Officials say the man entered a business shortly after 9 p.m. on that Friday, pointed a handgun at an employee (victim), and demanded currency. The man shot the victim and fled the business, officials say. He may have been in a black 2006 Pontiac G6 with two doors.
The shooter is described as a male, African American male, in his 50s. He was last seen wearing a black Carhartt-brand hat, a gray skull-style mask, a yellow and green checkered jacket, blue pants, and chestnut-colored shoes. He was armed with a handgun.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Anyone with any information on this incident is urged to contact Milwaukee police at 414-935-7360, or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or P3 Tips.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee officials consider refunding snow removal fees after 'frustration' at December storm response
Milwaukee alders are pushing the city to explore eliminating a city fee for snow removal after “widespread concerns” about snow removal failures during a recent snowstorm.
The fee paid by most Milwaukee residents has been in place for years, and the discussion by City Council members comes after resident complaints about how the city manages plowing.
“If we can’t handle four inches of snow now, what’s going to happen the rest of the winter?” Milwaukee Alder Peter Burgelis said.
Stay informed on the latest news
Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.
Milwaukee got around 4.5 inches of snow during a storm on Dec. 19 and Dec. 20. Burgelis said he believes many of the main roads in the city were properly plowed.
“But inside of neighborhoods, where people live, those streets, many were untreated altogether,” Burgelis said.
He said he heard similar complaints from other alders.
“It wasn’t just an isolated incident or isolated plowing or lack of plowing in a handful of neighborhoods in my district, but that was really seen citywide in all parts of Milwaukee,” he said.
A statement from Burgelis said residents reported “unsafe road conditions” throughout the city after the storm.
Milwaukee Alder Lamont Westmoreland also said he received numerous complaints from residents about the snow removal response from the Milwaukee Department of Public Works.
“Taxes can’t continue to go up, people can’t continue to shell out more dollars, and the services continue to be lackluster,” Westmoreland said.
The city’s snow and ice removal fee is $1.13 per foot of street frontage on a property. Residents are charged the fee annually, Burgelis said. If the city were to return that fee to residents, it would leave an $11.3 million gap in the city’s budget.
Burgelis did say the city likely doesn’t have the “capacity” to return all of that money to citizens.
“But if the city is charging for a service, there’s an expectation that residents get something for that fee,” he said.
On Wednesday, Milwaukee’s public works committee will discuss “evaluating mechanisms to provide a snowplow fee refund to some or all city residents,” Burgelis’ statement said. “It will also address potential improvements to ensure timely and effective leaf collection and snow removal in the future.”
Some of the problems of the December storm were exacerbated by late leaf pick-up.
Burgelis said the snow removal fee in Milwaukee began years ago when shared revenue from the state remained stagnant. However, the city now gets more money from the state due to Act 12, a bipartisan law that overhauled local government funding.
“And unfortunately, we’re still not getting the level of service that residents expect to get from DPW (Department of Public Works),” Burgelis said.
Burgelis said he was told only around half of the city’s 200 snow plows were used during the December storm. A spokesperson for the Milwaukee Department of Public Works said the commissioner was not available for an interview.
Prior press releases from the spokesperson said crews were out for hours following the storm.
“Crews are still out working to get the side streets cleaned up,” a Dec. 20 release said. “They are salting with brine and plowing curb to curb in the residential areas. We’re making sure our streets are in good shape as the temperatures drop tonight.”
But Westmoreland said the response wasn’t good enough. He said he heard similar concerns from residents last year after a snowstorm pounded the city in January 2023.
“And then here we are, almost a year later, and not one thing has changed,” Westmoreland said.
When asked about the refund on the snow plow fee, Westmoreland didn’t say he believed that idea was “realistic.”
“People don’t want a refund on snowplowing,” he said. “People want the job done right the first time.”
In an email, Jeff Fleming, a spokesperson for Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, said the mayor “thinks the Department of Public Works employees do very good work — often under remarkably tough conditions.”
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2025, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.
Milwaukee, WI
Family identifies woman killed in hit-and-run crash in Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Police continue to look for the driver involved in a hit-and-run that killed a 70-year-old woman in Milwaukee on Saturday.
The crash happened just before 8:00 p.m. near 34th and Lloyd.
Police say a driver was going north on N. 34th Street when they crashed with another driver who was traveling west on W. Lloyd.
The driver who was going North on N. 34th Street then fled the scene.
Meanwhile, two people in the car that was traveling west on Lloyd were rushed to the hospital. The driver had non-life-threatening injuries. The 70-year-old passenger died due to injuries sustained during the crash, police said.
On Sunday, family identified the 70-year-old victim as Beverly J. Fair.
“Our mom was truly a loving person, and everyone loved her. She lived a life of service and selflessness. She will be missed dearly,” Fair’s daughter, Shyla Deacon, wrote online.
The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the expenses related to this unexpected loss.
Deacon also said her son, Beverly’s grandson, was driving at the time of the crash. He is expected to recover from non life-threatening injuries.
Fair was a mother, wife and grandmother who “absolutely loved the Bucks, loved watching professional tennis and loved going on cruises,” said Deacon.
Deacon also remembers her mom as a “woman of God who loved serving others.”
Police are investigating the crash and anyone with any information is asked to contact Milwaukee Police at (414) 935-7219, or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at (414)224-Tips/ or P3 Tips.
Talk to us:
Hey there! At TMJ4 News, we’re all about listening to our audience and tackling the stuff that really matters to you. Got a story idea, tip, or just want to chat about this piece? Hit us up using the form below. For more ways to get in touch, head over to tmj4.com/tips.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip
-
Health1 week ago
New Year life lessons from country star: 'Never forget where you came from'
-
Technology1 week ago
Meta’s ‘software update issue’ has been breaking Quest headsets for weeks
-
Business6 days ago
These are the top 7 issues facing the struggling restaurant industry in 2025
-
Culture5 days ago
The 25 worst losses in college football history, including Baylor’s 2024 entry at Colorado
-
Sports5 days ago
The top out-of-contract players available as free transfers: Kimmich, De Bruyne, Van Dijk…
-
Politics4 days ago
New Orleans attacker had 'remote detonator' for explosives in French Quarter, Biden says
-
Politics4 days ago
Carter's judicial picks reshaped the federal bench across the country
-
Politics2 days ago
Who Are the Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom?