MPD releases more than 1,000 pages of documents related to Dontre Hamilton case

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The Milwaukee Police Department has released more than 1,000 pages of documents related to the April 30th, 2014 shooting of Dontre Hamilton in Red Arrow Park. The documents detail the events that occurred leading up to Hamilton's death, and they also provide insight as to what still lies ahead.

31-year-old Hamilton was shot and killed by former Milwaukee Police Officer Christopher Manney. Manney has been terminated for his handling of Hamilton that day -- a firing he is appealing with the Fire and Police Commission. The Commission is set to hear that appeal in February, and Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn will be providing testimony at that hearing.

The stack of documents released Tuesday, January 27th include Manney's personnel file, Hamilton's arrest record, witness accounts of what happened on April 30th and photos from the scene. Those photos show where Hamilton had been laying, sleeping in Red Arrow Park. They also show his hat, his backpack, and even the Twizzlers candy he had with him that day. The photos also show where 12 witnesses were located at the time of the shooting. Some were in high-rises overlooking Red Arrow Park.

The documents detail the hours before Christopher Manney showed up at Red Arrow Park. Two other officers interacted with Dontre Hamilton one hour prior. It all started with a call to police from a worker at Starbucks. The business was operating out of a trailer at the time, and the worker noticed a man laying near a statue in the park. That man was Dontre Hamilton.

Two officers arrived at the park around 2:00 p.m. for a welfare check. Officer Andrew Fuerte observed "Hamilton was sleeping." The officer "nudged him with his foot." Officer Fuerte reported "Hamilton told him he was homeless" and that he "would not make direct eye contact." Officer Robert Fritchett says "the officers asked Hamilton if he needed anything, or if they could take him anywhere." The officers suggested Hamilton move to a bench, before heading back to their squad car.

A short time later, police got another call from a Starbucks worker. The same two officers returned and had another short encounter with Hamilton -- again asking Hamilton if he was okay, and offering to give him a ride. Before leaving the park, the officers explained to the Starbucks employee "Hamilton was not doing anything wrong, and the police could not force him to leave."

Those officers left the scene shortly after 2:30 p.m.

An hour later, Christopher Manney arrived. Shortly thereafter, a violent struggle with a deadly ending. In the reports, Manney explains why his encounter with Hamilton was different from the other officers. He says the fact that he was a "one-man squad" made a lot of difference -- saying it may have contributed to a change in Hamilton's behavior that resulted in a violent ending.

Included in the documents -- incident reports detailing prior police contact with Dontre Hamilton. One such incident occurred in 2011, and involved a woman living with Hamilton who called police, reporting Hamilton was yelling profanities. The woman reported he had broken windows in the past, and she was afraid for her safety. Hamilton was arrested for disorderly conduct. In 2009, documents show Hamilton was in the passenger seat during an armed robbery.

The documents also include details regarding the next step -- Christopher Manney's appeal hearing.

Chief Flynn cited two reasons for firing Manney: One, because he failed to adhere to training and procedures regarding the use of force in relation to Hamilton, and two, that Manney didn't follow policy and training in dealing with an emotionally disturbed person.

In a police memorandum dates October 14th, 2014 from Christopher Manney to Chief Flynn, Manney said they are charges he vehemently disputes. Manney said MPD officials contradict themselves -- on one hand saying Hamilton was so dangerous, he should have called for backup -- and on another hand saying there was no justification to even pat him down.

Manney wrote: "I don't know which charge to pick as the department's true position." The memorandum shows Manney also asked that an expert review the case.

Manney also noted that he was a "one-man squad," which Manney said was a major contributing factor as it relates to how officers handle a situation. Manney said when he got to the scene, he was walking to the Starbucks trailer to talk with the person who called to report Hamilton sleeping in the park. Before he got there, Manney said, Hamilton opened his eyes and gave a 1,000-yard stare. Manney said he was forced to take immediate action, "as opposed to running away and cowering behind cover as I wait for backup."

Manney explained in the memorandum why he felt he needed to pat down Hamilton for weapons. The memorandum concludes with this statement: "Due to my suffering from and diagnosis of severe post-traumatic stress disorder due to this incident, I required and received assistance to complete this memorandum."

Manney was fired from the Milwaukee Police Department on October 15th. He filed an appeal of his termination two days later.

The Fire and Police Commission hasn't yet officially scheduled Manney's appeal hearing, but it is set to occur sometime in early February.

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