3 Milwaukee Police Officers Suspended After Man's Death

MILWAUKEE, WI — Three Milwaukee police officers were suspended with pay on Friday after a 20-year-old man was found dead in a police district cell on Wednesday, Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said at a news conference.

The three officers, who are not named, were suspended after the custody death due to "concerns," Norman said at a press conference. The Milwaukee Police Department said in a statement that the investigation surrounding the man's death was ongoing.

The 20-year-old Milwaukee man who died in a Milwaukee Police Department District 5 cell was identified as Keishon Thomas by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office.

Thomas was arrested at a traffic stop at the 2200 block of West Capitol Drive on Wednesday, Norman said at a separate news conference.

Police said Thomas was arrested for a warrant around 1:55 a.m. and cops found drugs on him. He was taken to District 5, where district staff saw that Thomas had a medical emergency, Norman said.

Officers and responders from the Milwaukee Fire Department tried to save Thomas, but were unsuccessful, police said in a statement. Thomas died in the holding cell around 6:19 p.m., a medical examiner report said.

Four Milwaukee police officers were placed on administrative duty, which is a police department policy when officers are involved with any shooting or death.

The Milwaukee Area Investigative Team and the Waukesha Police Department will investigate Thomas' death, Norman said.