Police: 1 dead, 1 arrested in officer-involved shooting during search for homicide suspect Victor Cintron

MILWAUKEE -- An officer-involved shooting near 7th and Mitchell in Milwaukee Tuesday morning, May 7 left one man dead and another under arrest. It happened as officers searched for Victor Cintron Jr., wanted for a homicide that happened Friday, May 3.

"Chaotic. That's the only word I can come up with is chaotic this morning," said Thomas, neighbor.

FOX6 News found bullet holes lining the windows of a vehicle parked in the area.

Officer-involved shooting near 7th and Mitchell

Officer-involved shooting near 7th and Mitchell

"I seen the cops come out and they started taping up all the intersections here," said Kevin Wilke, neighbor.

Jose Rodriguez, Lexi Rivera

Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales said officers were in the area conducting surveillance related to the homicide near 27th and Hayes Friday -- with an arrest warrant issued for Cintron. Prosecutors said Cintron, who was issued a CCW permit in 2017, opened fire on a vehicle containing the mother of his child, Lexi Rivera, and her boyfriend, Jose Rodriguez. Rivera told FOX6 News Rodriguez threw his body over Rivera to protect her and their unborn child. Rodriguez was shot eight times, prosecutors said, and died as a result of his injuries.

While police officers were conducting surveillance shortly before 10 a.m. Tuesday, officials said two men, one who was masked and armed with a semi-automatic weapon, approached the officers' vehicle. The officers (a detective and two officers assigned to the "Specialized Investigations Division") were in plain clothes.

"That subject did come directly to the vehicle, in what we know of right now, to execute a deliberate act of violence," said Chief Morales.

Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales

"They approached the officers in an attempt -- the officers currently are believing that they were going to be robbed," said Chief Morales.

Two officers fired shots at the 29-year-old armed and masked man, fatally wounding him. His handgun was recovered at the scene. The second man, 18, fled from officers and was taken into custody after a short pursuit.

"That subject is being identified and we'll be determining what their purpose was and what they were doing approaching the plain clothes officers," Morales said.

Officer-involved shooting near 7th and Mitchell

Officer-involved shooting near 7th and Mitchell

Officer-involved shooting near 7th and Mitchell

Chief Morales said the 29-year-old man had a warrant for his arrest with the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office for burglary. Officials did not name him Tuesday because next-of-kin was being notified.

Victor Cintron Jr.

The suspect in the 27th and Hayes homicide, Cintron, remained on the run as of Tuesday.

There were three Milwaukee police officers involved in the officer-involved shooting incident -- one a 40-year-old man who is a 20-year veteran of the department -- and assigned to the Special Investigations Division. The second officer was a 36-year-old man with 12 years on the force. The third officer, who apprehended the second suspect, was a 51-year-old man with 27 years on the department. No officers were hurt in this incident.

Police said it wasn't immediately clear whether the two men involved in the officer-involved shooting incident had any connection to Cintron.

Police were in the area because they believed Cintron was hiding out in a home in the neighborhood.

PHOTO GALLERY



The Waukesha Police Department was named as the lead agency to investigate the officer-involved shooting.

Chief Morales promised a Community Briefing on this officer-involved shooting within the next 45 days (by June 21).