Police: Bystander seriously hurt in officer-involved shooting during pursuit; 1 arrested

MILWAUKEE -- A bystander suffered serious injuries when he was shot by an officer early Sunday, Sept. 8 near 26th and Auer. Police said this all started with an attempted traffic stop, and when the driver tried running into a home near 26th and Auer, the officer believed the man was reaching for a weapon. The officer fired, and the bystander, a 41-year-old Milwaukee man, was hit.

"They were chasing this car for a while, all through this neighborhood," said Marris Virgil, neighbor. "All over."

Police said around 1:15 a.m., officers spotted a speeding vehicle near 27th and Townsend. Officers attempted a traffic stop, but the driver, a 22-year-old Milwaukee man, refused to stop, and the pursuit ensued.

At one point, police said the driver reversed into a squad before continuing to flee police.

"I hear a squealing, scraping the wall," said Virgil. "I guess they turned right here on Auer, trying to go through the alley. Next thing you know, I started to hear some police hollering, 'Get out of the car! Get out of the car!'"

The driver soon exited his vehicle and ran toward a home near 26th and Auer.

"Next thing you know, I hear, 'Pow,'" said Virgil. "I hear a shot."

Officer-involved shooting near 26th and Auer

An officer, believing the driver was reaching for a weapon, fired one shot, which struck the bystander police said was "in close proximity" to the driver.

The 41-year-old man was taken to the hospital, and police said he was expected to survive.

The 22-year-old man was arrested at the scene.

"I was asleep when it happened, and I heard a lot of commotion, and sirens, and lights," said Lamont Joyner, neighbor. "It's scary. It's very scary. It's going on everywhere."

Neighbors said they're simply fed up with the crime.

"I'm kind of sick and tired of it," said Virgil.

Officer-involved shooting near 26th and Auer

Police identified the officer who fired in this incident as a 27-year-old man with 1.5 years of service. He was placed on administrative duty, per standard procedure.

Police said MPD's Homicide Division would investigate this use of force, as the bystander did not suffer life-threatening injuries.