Joseph Mensah: Prosecutors Won't Bring Charges For Fatal Park Shooting

MILWAUKEE, WI — Prosecutors announced they wouldn't bring charges against former Wauwatosa police officer Joseph Mensah in the killing of Jay Anderson Jr.

Mensah shot and killed Anderson in Madison Park in 2016, and prosecutors said from reviewing footage and photos there wasn't evidence to prove the officer didn't act in self-defense, a court stream showed.

Anderson had been sleeping in a parked car, and Mensah claimed he saw the man reach for a gun before the shooting, according to the police report.

Anderson is one of three people Mensah has killed in the last five years. Mensah also shot and killed 29-year-old Antonio Gonzales in 2015, whom prosecutors said refused to drop a sword, and 17-year-old Alvin Cole in 2020, whom investigators said fired a shot during a foot chase.

Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm's office cleared Mensah of wrongdoing in all three cases. But, Anderson's family asked for a judge to review his case in what is called a "John Doe" proceeding.

Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Glenn Yamahiro ruled there was "probable cause" to charge Mensah with homicide with a dangerous weapon in July 2021. In December of that year, he appointed La Crosse County District Attorney Tim Gruenke and Milwaukee lawyer Scott Hansen as special prosecutors.

Gruenke and Hansen are expected to announce their charging decision in a Milwaukee court on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported.

Mensah was suspended and later resigned from the Wauwatosa Police Department in November 2020, amid an investigation into complaints against him. He joined the Waukesha County Sheriff's Office in January 2021, where he now serves as a detective.

Mensah will continue serving as a detective as the case proceeds, Waukesha County Sheriff Eric Severson said in a statement.

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