Man Gets Prison In Hotel Shooting That Injured 3 Wauwatosa PD Officers

WAUWATOSA, WI — A man was sentenced to prison on Thursday after police said he shot three officers at a Wauwatosa hotel in Nov. 2021.

Kenneth Burney, 34, was sentenced to the maximum on a charge of attempted first-degree homicide, with an initial prison term set at 30 years. A criminal complaint said Burney shot the officers when they were searching a hotel for possible injuries after a shots fired call.

It happened at the Radisson on North Mayfair Road on the evening of Nov. 6. Officers were investigating shots being fired in the hallway looking for potential injuries, and when they made it to Burney's room on the second floor, they had to force the door open, according to the complaint.

Gunshots rang out as police opened the door, injuring a 31-year-old and two 32-year-old police officers, police said. The officers were all released from the hospital after the encounter.

Burney was also sentenced to an additional 10 years on another attempted homicide charge and a bail jumping charge, court records showed. His other convictions landed sentences that will be served concurrently.

Officers who were injured spoke at the sentencing this week after a jury found Burney guilty, according to a CBS58 report. Sgt. Edward Tyrpak told the court he saw a friend shot in front of him, "an experience I hope to never have to relive again," according to the report.

Another officer who was injured, Sgt. Kurt Svatek, told the court he still has pain in his hand and a loss of motion after the incident, according to CBS58, while the defendant seemed to express remorse.