Milwaukee I-43 pursuit; 2 teens shot by officer, freeway shutdown
MILWAUKEE - A stolen vehicle pursuit ended with two teens shot by a Milwaukee police officer on Thursday, June 20, which shut down a stretch of I-43.
Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said it happened just before 2:30 p.m. and the vehicle was connected to two armed robbery carjacking incidents, one attempted.
Norman said the driver of the vehicle drove into a construction zone on I-43 near Vienna during a chase. Police demanded the driver to stop the car, and the driver then reversed the vehicle into a marked squad.
The driver drove forward and went into reverse, where an officer was located. Another officer then opened fire and hit two of six people that were inside the vehicle.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Two people, an 18-year-old Milwaukee female and 17-year-old Milwaukee male, were taken to the hospital for their injuries. The 18-year-old is facing life-threatening injuries and the 17-year-old has serious injuries.
Milwaukee police incident on I-43 near Keefe
Police said the female was pregnant, and the baby did not survive.
The other four in the car include a 15-year-old female, 16-year-old male, a 17-year-old male and an 18-year-old female. They were also taken to the hospital for minor injuries.
There were no other reported injuries and all six people were arrested.
"There are no winners in this particular situation, none," Norman said. "This is unacceptable. Parents, what is going on with your children?"
Norman said the officer that shot at the suspects is a 25-year-old male with over four years of service. He was placed on administrative duty, per policy.
A firearm was recovered inside the stolen vehicle.
"As we are embarking on summertime, it is imperative to understand: Where are our children?" Norman said. "This should’ve never happened. This is unacceptable and everyone who hears this should be appalled and angered."
The West Allis Police Department will lead the investigation into the incident.
Happened along a stretch of I-43, it was made tighter because of the active construction zone. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation said no employees were hurt, but those who live around say they're shaken up.
One woman who had just gotten off a Milwaukee County Transit System bus and was walking home when she heard the gunshots.
"I hear, ‘pow, pow, pow,’ and then I hear like an automatic, and it was just like, super loud," Treasjha Keys said. "And I was so nervous, I ducked down. I got down on my own self, you know, for my own safety. And when I did get up, I kinda looked around a little bit, and everybody else was frightened like I was."
Treasjha Keys
Criminal charges will be referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.
"Experiencing this firsthand is crazy. It just adds to all the craziness I've seen living here in Milwaukee," Keys said. "Milwaukee is a beautiful town, beautiful. But the violence is outrageous and I do believe that we need to come to a common ground. Figure out a way to stop this."
I-43 was cleared at 9:15 p.m., more than six hours later.