Police release dashcam video of off-duty officer shooting
By James Stratton
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MILWAUKEE (WISN) — Milwaukee police released dashcam video showing an off-duty officer shooting and killing Elijah Wilks after Wilks’ family called for its early release.
The confrontation occurred between Elijah Wilks and an off-duty Milwaukee Police Department officer Thursday at 49th Street and Mill Road in Milwaukee, where 26-year-old Wilks died after an exchange of gunfire with the officer.
Milwaukee police typically release video to the public within 15 days of a shooting, per department policy. This release happened roughly four days after the shooting. Milwaukee Police say they released the video “in the interest of transparency.”
The family called the shooting justified and wanted the video released because they believe it shows everything that happened. The off-duty officer shot and killed Wilks after video shows Wilks hit him with his gun. The plea and urgent release of the video came after grainy surveillance video was posted on social media over the weekend.
Police say, and the officer’s dash camera video shows, the pair were involved in a crash. Then, video shows the pair get out of their cars and quickly exchange words, and Wilks then pulls out his gun and hits the officer with it. The entire exchange is 26 seconds long.
“Elijah pulls out a firearm with his right hand, and that, he’s essentially swinging it in the direction of the off-duty officer. One time. It’s almost like a punch is what actually transpired,” attorney B’Ivory LaMarr, who represents the family, said.
The pair exchanged gunfire, according to police. The officer had his service weapon, and video shows Wilks had a gun of his own.
Last Thursday, a neighbor said police pulled a 10 mm bullet from his living room wall. Wilks was facing that direction, according to video. Milwaukee police say they do not have any 10 mm service weapons.
Balloons and photos now sit where Wilks died as the family works to grieve his death.
“What this family has done is made the difficult decision, while they’re grieving, to put aside their privacy, put aside their grieving to allow again the opportunity for accountability to actually exist where the public can see what they saw. And just try to move past the situation and heal this city,” LaMarr said.
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