Man who was on bus prior to officer-involved shooting shares detailed account of what he says happened
BROWN DEER -- FOX6 News is hearing exclusively from a man who says he was on a Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) bus just prior to an officer-involved shooting Monday, March 14th that happened near 60th and Donna in Brown Deer.
Officer-involved shooting near 60th and Donna in Brown Deer
"When I got on the bus, the bus was quiet. (The man who would eventually be shot) was sitting on his phone," said Derrick Macklin.
Macklin said the initial alleged disturbance between the man and the MCTS bus driver happened before he boarded Monday evening.
Macklin said he was on the bus when the driver stopped on 60th Street and flagged down two Brown Deer police officers who were in the area.
"The lady (officer) asked the bus driver -- 'do you have a problem? What's the problem?' The bus driver said 'yes, I have a disturbance on the bus. A young man was cussing me out when he got on the bus about a transfer,'" said Macklin.
Macklin said the two officers ordered the man off the bus.
"The man (officer) says, 'you're going to have to get off the bus.' (The suspect) says 'I'm not getting off the bus.' So they grabbed him and threw him off the bus," said Macklin.
Derrick Macklin
Richard Cole, a police instructor at MATC said in a situation like this, officers must get the person to listen.
"An officer's trained that when they make the decision to take someone into custody, they are to overcome any resistance to take them into custody," said Cole.
Macklin said once off the bus, the officers struggled to get the man into handcuffs.
Macklin said he heard one shot fired, which jives with what other witnesses said.
"When (the officer) shot him, everyone was looking at her. She looked up and seen everybody on the bus looking at her. She put her gun back. That's when he just gave up. She grabbed his hand and handcuffed him," said Macklin.
Macklin said once the man and the officers exited the bus, the bus driver tried to continue the route but could not. He said she pulled over and called a supervisor.
Officer-involved shooting near 60th and Donna in Brown Deer
"She felt bad because I think she was blaming herself for what happened to this dude because she got off the bus and started crying. She walked off the bus and just sat by herself with her head down," said Macklin.
Milwaukee police are leading the investigation into this officer-involved shooting. MPD has not released new information in this case, saying the investigation is ongoing.
As of Tuesday, the suspect was still in the hospital.
The two Brown Deer police officers involved in this incident are on administrative duty.
Officer-involved shooting near 60th and Donna in Brown Deer