Milwaukee police officer fired 6 months after killing unarmed mentally ill black man

MILWAUKEE POLICE FIRE OFFICER WHO SHOT MAN IN PARK

Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn said Wednesday that he had fired an officer who instigated a fight with a mentally ill man that eventually led the officer to shoot the man 14 times, killing him.

Instigate a fight with someone and kill them in the course of that fight. Reminds me of George Zimmerman.  And what do you know, the victim was black.

Dontre Hamilton

And the officer, Christopher Manney was…you guessed it: white!

Officer Christopher Manney, 38, was dismissed nearly six months after 31-year-old Dontre Hamilton’s death. Activists have compared the shooting to that of Michael Brown, an unarmed, black 18-year-old shot by an officer in Ferguson, Missouri.

Yeah, this does bear similarities to the death of Michael Brown.  Unarmed black man killed by white police officer.  And this cop shot the victim 14 times!  Because the first 3 weren’t enough.  Guy had to make sure he killed this black guy dead.

Hamilton was sleeping in a downtown park when Manney responded to a call for a welfare check and began a patdown. Flynn said Hamilton resisted and the two exchanged punches and strikes before Hamilton hit Manney on the neck with Manney’s baton. Manney then shot Hamilton.

Flynn said that while Manney correctly identified Hamilton as someone who was emotionally disturbed, he ignored his training and police policy and treated him as a criminal.

“You don’t go hands-on and start frisking somebody only because they appear to be mentally ill,” Flynn said during a news conference announcing the firing.

Hamilton’s family has said he was diagnosed with schizophrenia but was not violent, and they doubt he struck Manney. They called Wednesday for police to release photographs documenting the officer’s injuries. They also said that while the firing was “a victory,” they would continue to lead and participate in marches in an effort to persuade the district attorney to bring criminal charges.

“Yes, he was fired, but he took a man’s life,” Hamilton’s mother, Maria, said during a separate news conference.

His brother, Nate Hamilton, said the family remains hurt and their grief would not ease until they feel justice is done.

I’m with them. The firing is the absolute least that should be done.  This asshole needs to be brought up on charges, and hopefully enough evidence can convince a jury that he’s guilty (second degree murder?) of killing Hamilton.

“Dontre did not attack this man, he did not have to shoot Dontre at all,” the brother said.

The Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation investigated Hamilton’s death under a state law that requires an outside investigator to review all officer-involved deaths. The Milwaukee County district attorney’s office has asked an unnamed investigator to do a second review, and an attorney for Hamilton’s family said he was told the FBI is looking into it as well.

That state law needs to exist everywhere.

Milwaukee County Chief Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern, who is weighing potential charges, had no comment Wednesday, his assistant Maureen Perez said.

Flynn said his decision was based on an internal affairs investigation. He sidestepped questions about whether Manney should face criminal charges. He said he found “errors of judgment, but no malice” in Manney’s handling of the confrontation.

“There’s got to be a way for us to hold ourselves accountable absent putting cops in jail for making mistakes,” he said.

Mistakes?  Manney didn’t break Hamilton’s toe. He didn’t rough him up. He killed him. An unarmed, mentally ill man. That’s not a mistake.  That’s an execution. Again, it’s like black lives don’t matter. To cap off this fucking bullshit:

The Milwaukee Police Association condemned the firing.

“The decision to terminate this officer is cowardice and certainly unfounded and unsupported by fact,” President Mike Crivello said in a statement.

Again, it’s “side with the cop”, and black lives don’t matter.  Firing an officer for killing an unarmed man is cowardice? It’s unfounded?  What actions can a cop take that justify firing them you shitwads? Or do you think you’re all immune to termination? You think you can treat black people any way you want to and it doesn’t fucking matter. You think you’re above the goddamn law. I’m fucking sick and tired of this shit!

{advertisement}
Milwaukee police officer fired 6 months after killing unarmed mentally ill black man
{advertisement}

One thought on “Milwaukee police officer fired 6 months after killing unarmed mentally ill black man

Comments are closed.