Ladell Harrison, suspect in death of Officer Charles Irvine Jr., pleads guilty, avoids trial

Ladell Harrison



MILWAUKEE -- A man charged in connection with the June death of Milwaukee Police Officer Charles Irvine Jr. reached a plea deal in the case against him -- avoiding a jury trial that was set to begin on Feb. 18.

Ladell Harrison, 29, on Thursday, Feb. 7 pleaded guilty to six of the 12 charges filed against him:


    Milwaukee Police Department squad crash at 76th & Silver Spring



    The remaining charges were dismissed but read into the court record. He will be sentenced on April 4.

    Officer Charles Irvine Jr., 23, died on June 7, 2018 after a violent crash near 76th and Silver Spring Drive.

    Officer Irvine and his partner, Officer Matthew Schulze, 36, were in pursuit of a reckless vehicle when their squad crashed.

    Officer Irvine was a police aide for two years and an officer for nearly two more.

    Officer Schulze, who was driving the squad at the time of the crash, was treated and released from Froedtert Hospital.

    Ladell Harrison, Officer Charles Irvine Jr.



    According to prosecutors, they were chasing Ladell Harrison, who prosecutors said was a heroin dealer officers had been tracking for some time after a Waukesha County woman overdosed in 2017. Police had been using criminal informants to build a case -- buying drugs through Harrison at least four times.

    Harrison told police he fled because he was scared, had a gun in the car, and was driving on a revoked license. He also had his five-year-old son in the car.

    Prosecutors say the squad carrying the officers may have flipped as many as 20 times during the high-speed pursuit. Officer Irvine was thrown from the vehicle and later died.

    According to prosecutors, Harrison told investigators he did not see when the police squad crashed as he was "so far ahead of the police that they were not in his rearview mirror."

    Memorial for Officer Charles Irvine Jr.