Officer Responsible For 3 Wauwatosa Police Shootings: Report

WAUWATOSA, WI — Attorneys for the family of Alvin Cole, the 17-year-old who was shot and killed by Wauwatosa police outside Mayfair Mall on Feb. 2, say the officer who shot him was also responsible for two more officer-involved fatal shootings in recent years.

In a JSOnline report, attorney Kimberley Motley said Cole was shot and killed by officer Joseph Mensah — the same person who shot and killed Jay Anderson, 25 and Antonio Gonzalez, 29 while in the line of duty.

On Sunday, Wauwatosa Police Chief Barry Weber issued a six-paragraph statement regarding his officer, reaffirming that Mensah's actions were determined to be justified in two shootings, and that they're waiting for the legal process to run its course through the third.

"In each of the cases involving Officer Mensah, those Mensah encountered were armed with weapons," Weber said. "Each incident happened very quickly and verbal commands were given and not complied with. He defended himself with deadly force."

Jay Anderson was fatally shot at Madison Park in June 2016 after an officer, later identified as Joseph Mensah, responded to a report of suspicious vehicle parked outside Madison Park around 3 a.m. Reports indicated the officer encountered Anderson in possession of a gun inside the vehicle. Authorities said the officer feared for his safety and fired his gun into the car, killing Anderson.

Antonio Gonzalez was shot and killed In July 2015 after authorities say Mensah and fellow officer Jeffrey Newman shot and killed the 29-year-old Gonzalez after he swung a sword and refused to drop it. Authorities determined the officers shot at Gonzalez in self-defense.

17-year-old Alvin Cole was shot and killed by a Wauwatosa police officer outside Mayfair Mall in February. Days after the shooting, Wauwatosa police released video, and provided a moment-by-moment breakdown of the altercation that ended Cole's life.

The main takeaway from the police video was that Cole fled officers, carrying with him a stolen 9 mm semi-automatic pistol that had been stolen in Milwaukee in October. Police also said during the pursuit that Cole fired his gun first at officers while he was on the run.