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Lawyer Says Officer Mensah Can’t Be Fired For Future Shooting

Wauwatosa Officer Has Shot 3 People Since 2015

By
Alvin Cole's girlfriend Tionna Williams
Tionna Williams, who was Alvin Cole’s girlfriend, stands on the front steps of the Milwaukee County Safety Building on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020 before the announcement on whether Wauwatosa Police Officer Joseph Mensah will be charged in the fatal shooting of Cole, 17, in February. Angela Major/WPR

An attorney representing a suburban Milwaukee police officer who has fatally shot three people since 2015 says officials can’t fire him just because they fear he’ll do it again.

The Wauwatosa Police Commission is weighing whether to fire Officer Joseph Mensah.

The most recent shooting took place in February, when Mensah shot an armed teenager outside a mall. The commission hired former federal prosecutor Steven Biskupic to investigate.

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Biskupic recommended termination, saying the risk Mensah would shoot and kill a fourth person is too great. Attorney Jon Cermele told the commission Wednesday that firing Mensah for an event that hasn’t happened would violate due process.

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