Officers Injure Black Man In Shooting In Wauwatosa

Wauwatosa police say two patrol officers shot and wounded an African-American man Monday night after the man had cut a police supervisor with a kitchen knife during a confrontation.

The man had been living at the same address as an African-American woman who was found dead outside her apartment. Police had been called to respond to a possible case of domestic violence.

Wauwatosa Police Chief Barry Weber divulged the race of the deceased woman and the wounded man after being asked about it during a media briefing.

“The Wauwatosa Police Department — I want to make this clear, first — we treat every person with dignity and respect, and value our relationships with our citizens,” said Weber. “We recognize the tragedy for the families of these people involved. Lives are irrevocably changed and we’re aware of that. That being said, the female victim is African-American and the suspect also is African-American.”

Weber said the suspect is hospitalized. The police supervisor who was cut by the knife has been released from the hospital.

The Milwaukee Police Department is reviewing the officer-involved shooting, in correspondence with a state law that requires an outside law enforcement agency to perform the review.