"Use of force warranted:" No charges after man shot, killed by 2 Waukesha police officers in June

WAUKESHA -- No charges will be issued after a fatal officer-involved shooting on June 18th in Waukesha, the Waukesha County district attorney announced Thursday, September 7th.

Authorities said 64-year-old William Brewster, who was suicidal, was fatally shot by officers when he pointed a gun at them.

In announcing his decision that no charges will be filed against the two officers in this case, Waukesha County District Attorney Susan Opper said "the officers were privileged to use deadly force based on their reasonable belief that such force was necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to themselves or others."

Officer-involved shooting near and Sunkist and Pleasant View in Waukesha



The fatal officer-involved shooting happened June 18th near Sunkist and Pleasant View.

The district attorney said police were called by Brewster's live-in girlfriend, who reported he was suicidal and armed. Responding officers noted Brewster was consuming inxoticants and that he was suicidal, and it appeared he had a weapon. When asked repeatedly to put down the weapon, he failed to comply, according to the officers and witnesses. Officers negotiated with him for about an hour, and the district attorney said Brewster "continued to express a desire to kill himself," and he "displayed a hostile demeanor toward officers."

When he left his backyard while armed with a fully loaded 9 mm pistol the district attorney said Brewster approached the officers with the weapon in his hand. When officers again ordered him to drop it, he disobeyed their commands. The officers said they feared for their own personal safety and the safety of others, and each fired at Brewster "to terminate the threat." One officer fired five times, and the other fired three times.

Officer-involved shooting near and Sunkist and Pleasant View in Waukesha



Officer-involved shooting near near Grandview and Sunkist in Waukesha



Officer-involved shooting near near Grandview and Sunkist in Waukesha



Officer-involved shooting near near Grandview and Sunkist in Waukesha



The district attorney said Thursday "I conclude that any reasonable person in the position of the officers would have determined there was an imminent danger of death or great bodily harm to themselves and possibly others. Use of force was objectively warranted."