Milwaukee police may have gone too far this time. It appears they beat a man death. But his final 10 minutes on this earth were caught on an MPD dash cam and they are excruciating to watch.
As I’ve followed this story from It’s breakage, I’ve been unable to watch the entire video. I’ll do so after posting this.
According to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
A special prosecutor is considering felony charges in connection with the death of Derek Williams in Milwaukee police custody in July 2011, according to documents filed late Friday in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.
The special prosecutor, John Franke, plans to ask jurors to consider charges of first- and second-degree reckless homicide and failure to render aid by law enforcement after he presents five days’ worth of witnesses during an inquest into Williams’ death, scheduled to begin Feb. 11.
Those witnesses will include independent medical experts who will likely discuss a cracked bone in Williams’ neck and sickle cell crisis, a controversial condition Assistant Medical Examiner Christopher Poulos blamed for Williams’ death.
The homicide charges are felonies. First-degree reckless homicide carries a maximum possible penalty of 40 years in prison. Second-degree reckless homicide carries a maximum prison term of 15 years. The charge of failure to render aid is a misdemeanor with a possible penalty of nine months in jail.
A felony conviction requires a police officer to be removed from the force. A misdemeanor conviction related to on-the-job conduct also may be cause for firing.
Attorney Robin Shellow, who represents Williams’ mother, said the poten tial charges proposed by Franke will give inquest jurors a chance to fairly hold officers accountable.
“He is allowing the jury to have outrage, apply the evidence and really think about what it is that defines the illegality of the conduct,” she said of Franke.
The documents are the first public indication of the seriousness of the charges Franke is considering against the Milwaukee police officers involved in Williams’ arrest. Read more…
Feel free to voice your opinion on MPD’s Facebook page. According to the page info “We reserve the right to delete any postings on this site or ban any users at the discretion of the Administrator.” This basically means they’ll delete any comment which does not fully support all of their “officer’s” actions. I am personally permanently blocked.
MPD employee Mark Stanmeyer runs this first amendment hating page and his number is 414-935-7209.
Several Milwaukee “cops” Facing Homocide Charges for In Custody Death is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights