Man killed by MPD, bodycam demands from family
MILWAUKEE - A week after Roberto Zielinski was shot and killed by Milwaukee police, his family and friends are calling for the body camera footage of the incident to be released.
Outside Milwaukee Police District 6 Sunday morning, June 6, family and friends of 49-year-old Roberto Zielinski called for the bodycam footage associated with the fatal police shooting to be released.
"We just want to know. We just want to know," said Jacob Gonzalez, Zielinski’s nephew.
"I want to see what happened – that’s all. I want to see what happened," said Jessica Zielinski, Roberto's sister-in-law.
"You know, we’re all just grieving," Gonzalez said. "Me and my family, we really just want to see footage and see exactly what’s going on and have answers to this because we’re all just hurt. We’re all just hurt."
A lack of understanding about what happened and why Milwaukee police felt the need to fire upon him is making it hard to grieve, the family said.
"The reports we’ve heard from witnesses have been varied. All but one report seems to deviate from the police narrative," said Omar Flores with the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.
In addition to family and friends, Flores' group is calling for the release of the bodycam footage along with Milwaukee County Supervisor Ryan Clancy.
"The mere presence of a bodycam is not justice," Clancy said. "Only the presence of a bodycam with accountability with how that footage is used and released will lead to justice and will lead to fewer incidences like this in the future."
And until it is released, the collective said they will continue to make noise and call for this higher level of transparency.
The Milwaukee Police Department responded to a request for comment with this statement:
"The Milwaukee Police Department appreciates that the community is seeking the release of body camera footage regarding the officer-involved shooting that occurred on Sunday, May 30, 2021; however, this incident remains open and is still under review. MPD is committed to being transparent as possible without compromising the integrity of an investigation. As part of that commitment, MPD created community briefings, which contain relevant information that may include body camera footage. A community briefing regarding this incident will be released in the future."
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Waukesha police issued the following statement:
Wisconsin Statute § 175.47 requires that, in the event of the death of an individual as the result of an action or inaction by a law enforcement officer, the ensuing investigation must be conducted by an investigative team from an independent agency.
When the City of Waukesha Police Department (WKPD) serves as that independent agency, it provides a complete report to the prosecutor for review. If the prosecutor determines there is no basis for prosecution of the law enforcement officer, access to the report as required by § 175.47(5)(b) will be released to the public. The related investigative file and associated evidence, which will be made available to the public upon request in a redacted format under the Wisconsin Public Records Law (Wis. Stat. §§ 19.31-19.39).
The City of Milwaukee may choose to conduct a community briefing to inform the public prior to the prosecutors review, however that is the choice of MPD.
At this point in the investigation WKPD will not be releasing records as the investigation is open and active.