Fire and Police Commission to hold public forum regarding Simmons' shooting

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee's Fire and Police Commission will hold a public forum next Thursday, July 12th in response to the way police handled the murder investigation into the shooting death of 13-year-old Darius Simmons.

75-year-old John Spooner has pleaded not guilty to first-degree intentional homicide in the death of Simmons on May 31.

Prosecutors say Spooner accused the boy of stealing his firearms, and shot the boy in the chest when he denied being the thief.

The shooting happened in front of the boy’s home as his mother watched.

Simmons' family says police kept the boy's mother in a squad car, rather than let her hold her son or join him at the hospital following the shooting.

Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn has defended his department's investigation, saying everything involved with the Simmons’ homicide investigation was done by the books.

Flynn said that the top priority of a homicide investigator is to get the facts immediately, and get a conviction, and it’s unfortunate that some investigative techniques seem uncompassionate.

“We have one chance at a homicide investigation to get a fresh, uncontaminated, unadulterated statements immediately after the incident, and that is as soon as we get there,” Flynn said.

The forum is planned for 6:00 p.m. July 12th at Rufus King High School.

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