Columbus officers involved in fatal shooting near RNC in Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE (AP / WJW) – Police officers shot and killed a suspect about five blocks outside the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee Tuesday afternoon, according to officials.

The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #9 confirmed the shooting on its Facebook page, stating officers from the Columbus Division of Police were involved.

According to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, an adult male was shot and killed. Officials say an autopsy will be conducted Wednesday.

Five members of Columbus police fired on the man, who had a knife in each hand, refused police commands and charged at an unarmed man before police fired, Milwaukee Chief Jeffrey Norman said at a news conference. Two knives were recovered from the scene, the chief said.

Police released body camera footage that showed officers on bikes talking before one of them says, “He’s got a knife.”

Several officers then yell “Drop the knife!” as they run toward two men standing in a street. When the armed man moved toward the unarmed man, police fired their weapons.

“Someone’s life was in danger,” Norman said. “These officers, who were not from this area, took it upon themselves to act and save someone’s life today.”

Milwaukee residents quickly came to the site of the shooting, many angry that a police department in town because of the convention was involved. Dozens of police officers were also on the scene.

Kenneth Johnson, a volunteer with Friends Without Shelter, said the area is well known among locals for its homeless population that sleep in tents in a nearby lot — and questioned what an out-of-state officer had been doing at the location.

“They shouldn’t have jurisdiction to be in this area. This isn’t near where the zones are,” Johnson said. “These are tent communities over here, they shouldn’t be over here.”

A cousin and others identified the man killed as 43-year-old Samuel Sharpe.

Linda Sharpe said her cousin lived in a tent encampment across the street from King Park, where the shooting occurred.

David Porter, who said he knew Samuel Sharpe and is also homeless, was angry that officers from outside of Milwaukee were in his neighborhood.

“If MPD would have been there, that man would still be alive right now,” Porter said, referring to Milwaukee police.

The Columbus Division of Police is among many law enforcement agencies helping with security during the RNC event.

The department has received a lot of attention because of its special unit deployed to Milwaukee that works to improve police-community relationships and had a visible role in guiding the largely uneventful protests on Monday.

The shooting happened near King Park, roughly a mile from the convention center, where a small group of protesters gathered before marching on Monday. That demonstration was followed by dozens of Columbus police officers, wearing blue vests that read: “Columbus Police Dialogue.”

The shooting happened just a day after the convention kicked off, as former President Donald Trump , now named the presidential nominee, energized the crowd following an assassination attempt on his life over the weekend.

The second day of the convention , expected to place immigration and crime in the spotlight, will see more Republican leaders take the stage, including former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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