Milwaukee officers cleared; Cinco de Mayo police shootings 'justified'
MILWAUKEE - Two Milwaukee police officers who shot and wounded two men while conducting crowd control near Cesar Chavez and Scott on May 5, 2023 have been cleared of any wrongdoing. That information was disclosed in letters from Chief Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern to Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman.
Gunfire interrupted this year's Cinco de Mayo celebration along Cesar Chavez. Two officers in two separate shootings of two people.
Last month, the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office cleared officers Gregory Rupnick and Andrew Langer.
Police shooting near Cesar Chavez and Scott, Milwaukee
The two shootings happened seconds apart – separated by only about a block. Milwaukee police body camera footage shows a man holding a gun running from officers.
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The district attorney said Officer Rupnik feared for another officer's safety and shot the now-23-year-old Greenfield man in the torso. Investigators say that man had been shooting at someone else who first fired at home. The D.A. did not charge him – saying it was self-defense.
Police shooting near Cesar Chavez and Scott, Milwaukee
FOX6 News spoke with the man at his home on Friday, Sept. 8. He declined to comment.
Surveillance video and police body camera video show someone else firing an automatic weapon in the air. Officer Langer ordered him to stop – and then opened fire. The then-17-year-old Deon Nabors fell to the ground. Police say as he reached for the gun, they continued to fire. Investigators say they found a handgun with a switch allowing automatic fire, and 25 rounds still in the magazine. They arrested the teenager.
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Nabors was charged with recklessly endangering safety and possessing a machine gun. He was set to take a plea deal in July but that did not happen. A message left for Nabors' attorney was not returned.