Dispatch audio: Hear Christopher Manney's voice moments after shooting Dontre Hamilton
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- With Monday's no-charging decision in the Dontre Hamilton case, piles of documents are being released. The Department of Justice handed over its documents. Included in the collection are audio files that allow you to hear for the first time, Officer Christopher Manney's voice.
On April 30th, Starbucks employees working out of a trailer called police, complaining about a homeless man who was sleeping in Red Arrow Park. Here's the voice mail then-Officer Christopher Manney received before heading over to Red Arrow Park.
"I just got a call there from your people there at Starbucks by Red Arrow, Red Arrow Park. Apparently they have a trailer they are operating out of there now? Like I said, there is a homeless guy sleeping alongside the trailers there if you want to check on him. Black male, 30 to 40 years old wearing a blue or a navy coat and navy jeans."
When Manney didn't know at the time was two other officers had already been to Red Arrow Park that day -- and they decided Hamilton wasn't hurting anyone. They let him be.
When Manney arrived, an altercation ensued and Officer Manney ended up shooting Hamilton 14 times. In the heat of the moment, after the rounds had been fired, he placed a call for help.
Manney: "1246. Shots fired. Shots fired. Officer-involved. Guy started beating me. Started beating me my baton. Started hitting me in the head with my own baton. Shots fired. Uh, Starbucks. Starbucks. Help right now. Uh, send me medical too. He's gonna need medical. Shots multiple times to the chest. Black male. He's about 20. Starbucks at Kilbourn and Water. I need medical."
Dozens of officers arrived on the scene. The exchange between police dispatch and Manney continued:
Dispatch: "10-4. Is there any officers shot there?"
Manney: "11-12. Negative on any officers shot...I may have been hit with a baton, but I'm okay. I'm off the air now."
A national use-of-force expert who reviewed the case quoted Manney as saying that Hamilton "didn't flinch" after the first bullet.
That caused Manney to ask himself, "Am I shooting a f---ing BB gun?" because the shots weren't stopping Hamilton as quickly as he thought they should.
The expert writes that Manney may have experienced a 'distortion of time' that is typical of officers in high stress situations.
Among the records released today, is a Milwaukee police report from February of 2013, when officers were called to an apartment near 27th and Roosevelt.
Dontre Hamilton had stabbed himself in the neck. He told police he was diagnosed schizophrenic and that, 'the voices told me to kill myself and you people too'.
That was 14 months before the encounter in Red Arrow Park.