In a violent encounter that has stirred the Milwaukee community, two officers of the Milwaukee Police Department were shot and wounded on Thursday near 25th and Garfield. The officers, identified as 32-year-old Kendall Corder and 29-year-old Christopher McCray, were responding to a call of a suspect with a weapon that quickly escalated to an active shooter situation. According to a report by FOX6 News, a suspect was taken into custody shortly after the incident.
Officer Corder was critically injured and remains in a dire state, having undergone emergency surgery for several gunshot wounds, including a severe chest injury that has led to internal damage to his heart. In a statement obtained by The Journal Sentinel, the Milwaukee Police Association relayed that Officer McCray was also injured, sustaining wounds to his foot and back, and is expected to undergo surgery on his foot.
The community's concern for the officers has to come together around heartfelt vigils and public prayers. Officer Corder's cousin, Red Rozay, voiced the collective yearning for healing, saying, "We are praying for a miracle." This sentiment was echoed in an interview by Pastor Marty Calderon of the Milwaukee Promise Keepers, who has known Officer Corder for over a year and lamented the distressing news of his critical condition to WISN.
Within the bounds of Froedtert Hospital, Officer Corder's family, including his father, girlfriend, niece, cousin, and grandmother, has to come to rally at his bedside. Clutching to faith, they have spent agonizing hours beseeching for Officer Corder's recovery. The family's ordeal was described by his grandmother, who, off the record, shared with WISN that the past 24 hours have been akin to living through a nightmare. As this story unfolds, updates on the condition of the officers and the arrest of the suspect will be forthcoming.
