Sources: 5 in custody, arrested just hours after city housing inspector gunned down on the job
MILWAUKEE -- Sources close to the investigation tell FOX6 News five suspects are in custody for questioning in connection with the murder of a Milwaukee housing inspector near 23rd and Cherry Wednesday, March 22nd. 64-year-old Greg "Ziggy" Zyszkiewicz, a City of Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services "Special Enforcement Agent" was gunned down on the job in broad daylight, and he may have been the target of a carjacking, sources say. At least two of the suspects were out on bail/bond at the time.
Zyszkiewicz was killed by a suspect who had a long-barreled gun, sources say.
The arrests took place at two locations Wednesday afternoon -- within hours of the shooting.
Police chased a stolen Kia Soul to 18th and Nash where it crashed, and suspects fled on foot. Three were arrested there, sources say. A stolen Toyota Venza crashed at 27th and Hope -- where two were arrested, sources say.
Kenneth Tate saw the crash scene near 27th and Hope Wednesday.
Stolen car crashes near 27th and Hope
"The squad cars at the corner, the cops was coming through here with German Shepherds," Tate said.
Stolen car crashes near 27th and Hope
Sources say that Toyota Venza was stolen at gunpoint -- with a shotgun.
Stolen car crashes at 18th and Nash
King Kodak saw the crash scene near 18th and Nash.
"I heard a lot of sirens. I came out and I don't know which way they were coming from," Kodak said.
Sources tell FOX6 News a group of teens came up to carjack Zyszkiewicz when one of the suspects fired a long-barreled gun, killing Zyszkiewicz. The suspects then took off.
FOX6 News has learned one of the suspects, a 21-year-old, is out on $1,000 bail, accused of a theft in which he allegedly hit an arresting officer in the face with his elbow. An August 2016 charge of felon in possession of a firearm accused him of having a stolen 9mm gun.
A 17-year-old suspect is currently facing a February charge, accusing him of stealing a Lexus. He was out on a $500 signature bond.
The commissioner of the City of Milwaukee's Department of Neighborhood Services said Thursday, March 23rd his department has been "rocked to its core" after Zyszkiewicz was gunned down.
The husband and father, a DNS "Special Enforcement Agent" for 33 years, was in the area near 23rd and Cherry Wednesday afternoon to conduct a house inspection.
Greg "Ziggy" Zyszkiewicz
Zyszkiewicz was found shot to death in his vehicle.
"We lost a very valued member of city service, our city family -- a good family man and community member. This continues to be a difficult time for the city. Our hearts go out to Ziggy's family, friends and coworkers. We're trying to come together and make sure we're caring for our employees. Today I visited Ziggy's work site, and visited with his coworkers, and there's a tremendous amount of grief," Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said Thursday.
Mayor Barrett said Thursday DNS employees were working from Zyszkiewicz's work site, and there were "very few, if any" residential inspections taking place. Grief counselors were on site to help employees struggling with this loss.
"We thought it was appropriate to allow our employees to work from that work site today. The safety of our city employees remains our top priority," Barrett said.
Barrett said he held a cabinet meeting in the wake of this fatal shooting to discuss the safety of city employees. That meeting included representatives from the Milwaukee Police Department and Milwaukee Fire Department, and city departments, including DNS.
Homicide at 23rd and Cherry
"Our employees use good judgement and work with the Community Prosecution Unit" to determine whether police are necessary (in the field). If they feel uncomfortable, they know to get out of there," Barrett said.
Police got a call around 2:00 p.m. Wednesday to check the welfare of a man found slumped over the wheel of his vehicle.
Officials with the Milwaukee Fire Department arrived on scene first, and upon police arrival, Chief Flynn said they observed the victim "suffered catastrophic wounds and was deceased."
"Ziggy would've known if it was time to get out of there," Preston Cole, commissioner of the DNS said Thursday.
Barrett said the operation Zyszkiewicz was performing Wednesday "wasn't one that would typically necessitate police presence." Zyszkiewicz was inspecting the interior of a building that had code violations that hadn't been corrected.
Housing inspector with 33 years experience shot, killed near 23rd and Cherry
"The process we have for uncorrected code violation is we return on a regular basis to see whether they're being cleaned up. This is why we try so hard to get landlords to clean up properties so we don't have to continue to go back," Barrett said.
Cole, the commissioner of the DNS and Barrett noted that DNS does have "highly-trained" Special Enforcement inspectors embedded within the Milwaukee Police Department -- who go after problem landlords. They said these inspectors are "uniquely qualified" to determine whether situations warrant MPD backup. Problem properties are defined by properties requiring MPD response three times with 30 days, they said.
Housing inspector with 33 years experience shot, killed near 23rd and Cherry
The home Zyszkiewicz was at on Wednesday was NOT considered a "problem property," they said.
Barrett and Cole said Zyszkiewicz was "eligible for retirement" at the time of his death.
"His wife made it clear that he loves his job and was going to continue to work beyond his 65th birthday.
Mayor Barrett on Thursday mentioned Zyszkiewicz's annual birthday party, known as "Ziggy Fest." Barrett indicated Zyszkiewicz's wife said he had already begun talking about how excited he was for this year's 65th birthday party this summer.
Homicide at 23rd and Cherry
A fund has been established at US Bank in Zyszkiewicz's honor. Donations can be made at any US Bank location.
As for the investigation into Zyszkiewicz's shooting death, Barrett said he's spoke with Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn "several times" Wednesday and Thursday -- and the investigation remains ongoing.