Former Wisconsin Police Officer’s Claims Dismissed in Fatal Shootings of People of Color

March 15, 2024 – 10:45 AM

In a recent development, a federal judge in Madison, Wisconsin, has dismissed two out of three claims against a former Wisconsin police officer who was involved in the fatal shootings of three individuals of color over a span of five years. The families of Antonio Gonzales, Jay Anderson, and Alvin Cole had filed federal lawsuits in 2021 and 2022 against former Wauwatosa Police Officer Joseph Mensah and the city’s police department, alleging excessive force and racism within the department. These lawsuits were consolidated in September 2022.

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U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman in Milwaukee made the decision to dismiss the claims filed by the Gonzales and Anderson families, according to online court records. However, he allowed the case involving Alvin Cole to proceed, scheduling oral arguments for the following month.

Antonio Gonzales, aged 29, was shot by Mensah in 2015 after allegedly approaching the officer with a sword and refusing to drop it. Jay Anderson, 25, was shot in 2016 by Mensah when he found Anderson sleeping in a car in a park after hours and believed he was reaching for a gun. Alvin Cole, a 17-year-old, was shot during a foot chase outside a mall in 2020, with Mensah claiming the teen fired first. Mensah, who is Black, resigned from the police department in 2020 and later joined the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department.

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Judge Adelman’s written order cited that Mensah had warned Gonzales to drop the sword before resorting to deadly force, and Gonzales’ family had acknowledged this fact. Additionally, squad-car footage showed Anderson reaching toward the passenger seat where a gun was found, supporting Mensah’s account of the events leading up to the shooting.

Although there were claims from Anderson’s family that he was reaching for a cellphone, Judge Adelman noted that the phone was located next to the gun, making it difficult for Mensah to discern Anderson’s intentions. The judge also stated that since the excessive force claim had failed, there was no need to address the racism allegations brought forth by the families.

With this latest development in the legal proceedings, the families’ attorneys, Kimberly Motley and Annalisa Pusick, have yet to comment on the dismissal of the claims against Mensah. The case involving Alvin Cole is set to continue, with further arguments expected in the near future.

News from © The Associated Press, 2024