A Milwaukee police sergeant shot and killed a 50-year-old man identified as Joseph M. Harry on Highway 175 near Lloyd Street Monday night, after police said Harry drove the wrong way down the highway and displayed a firearm during the encounter. The sergeant was not wearing a body camera, and the shooting has reopened a debate over which ranks of officers are required to wear one.
According to jsonline.com, Harry was pronounced dead at 8:45 p.m. in the highway's northbound lanes past West Washington Boulevard. Police said the sergeant first spotted a truck making a U-turn near Highway 175 and Lloyd Street at around 8:15 p.m., then driving southbound in a northbound lane, according to TMJ4 News. The sergeant called in the wrong-way driving and tried to stop the truck's driver before the confrontation turned deadly.
Per FOX6 Milwaukee, “The suspect displayed a firearm. The sergeant fired his duty firearm at the suspect, who died at the scene.” An autopsy conducted the following day listed the preliminary manner of death as homicide, the same jsonline.com report notes.
Investigation Lands With West Allis Police
The shooting is being investigated by the Milwaukee Area Investigative Team, with the West Allis Police Department serving as the lead agency, per the jsonline.com report. Highway 175 near Vliet Street was shut down for several hours during the investigation, as reported by WISN, before the roadway reopened. TMJ4 reported that a viewer shared images showing law enforcement providing medical aid to someone on the road, while another viewer shared an image depicting a heavy law enforcement presence around the highway that night.
Accounts differ on the sergeant's current assignment. The same jsonline.com report states that he would be placed on administrative duty during the investigation, while FOX6 Milwaukee reported that he has been placed on administrative leave.
Body Camera Gap Draws Scrutiny
Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said the sergeant was not wearing a body camera at the time of the shooting, the station's report notes. That detail has fueled a broader conversation about department policy, since Milwaukee Police Department policy requires all non-supervisory officers to wear body cameras but exempts sergeants from that requirement.
A national police procedures expert addressed the gap in an interview with CBS 58, saying, “Many police departments do not have their management or their higher-ranking personnel – sergeants, lieutenants, captains – with bodycams.” Norman said video of the incident exists but did not comment on the type of video, according to TMJ4's reporting.
What Policy Requires on Video Release
Standard Operating Procedure 575 governs the public release of video evidence within 15 days after a death in which a department member discharges a firearm, even if that discharge did not cause the death. FOX6 Milwaukee likewise reported that video related to the incident would be released within 15 days in accordance with Standard Operating Procedure 575.
Per the department order, any released material must include relevant video footage and accompanying audio showing events leading up to and including the death or other covered incident. The policy allows the footage to be redacted, edited, or withheld in specified circumstances, including when release is prohibited or limited by law or court order.
