Racine mayor invites public to speak during Town Hall after deadly officer-involved shooting

RACINE -- Racine Mayor Cory Mason has set a Town Hall event for Monday evening, Jan. 22 after a fatal officer-involved shooting Wednesday, Jan. 17.

Donte Shannon

Friends and family members of Donte Shannon, 26, gathered on Friday and marched to Racine's City Hall and the Racine Police Department --  making sure their message was heard loud and clear.

Family members said they were told Shannon was shot six times by a Racine police officer near 14th and Park on Jan. 17. Police said he died en route to the hospital, leaving behind a young daughter.

 

According to police, during a traffic stop near 14th and Villa St., Shannon fled the vehicle he was in and allegedly aimed a gun at officers. Police said the reason for the stop was the vehicle Shannon was in didn't have a front license plate. The investigation is being led by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, per state law.

"It's a reason to stop him. It's a made-up reason," said John Shannon, Donte's grandfather.

The group demanded to speak with the chief of police. Shannon's family said they don't believe he would pull a gun on police, and said they want more information on the circumstances surrounding this shooting.

"We want to let everybody know that we are not standing for what happened. I want people to know that we are doing this peacefully. We want answers. We want closure. We want justice served," said Nakia Shannon, Donte's father.

The group didn't meet with the police chief. They then moved on to City Hall, where they demanded to speak with the mayor.

The mayor's office said he was out of town at a meeting. He's now set Monday evening's Town Hall so that members of the public can share their thoughts on this incident.

Nakia Shannon

"We were at the hospital for four hours before they told us he was dead on arrival. They already moved his body when we asked to see his body for the last time. We couldn't see because they already moved him. There's no closure for us to say goodbye to him in a proper manner," said Nakia Shannon.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice is expected to hold a news conference on the shooting on Monday.

Meanwhile, the family says the funeral for Donte Shannon will most likely be held Friday, Jan. 26.