Ohio police called to Republican convention in Milwaukee shoot man

MILWAUKEE – A man was shot and killed Tuesday by Columbus, Ohio, police who were providing security at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, officials said.

The shooting occurred in the afternoon near King Park, according to the Milwaukee County Coroner.

The agency responded to a death at an intersection on the edge of the park, it said in a statement. Officials did not release the identity or age of the man killed. An autopsy is expected on Wednesday, the coroner’s office said.

The incident occurred approximately 1 mile from the conference venue.

Both the Columbus Division of Police and the Columbus Fraternal Order of Police, the union that represents the city’s rank-and-file officers, said in separate statements that they had been notified of a shooting involving Columbus officers in Milwaukee to provide security during the convention.

Columbus police said Incident happened in the “outer perimeter of the RNC, within the operational zone to which our officers were assigned.”

It was said that the shooting apparently had no connection with the party conference.

None of the officers were injured. Fraternal Order of Police said.

Some activists in the city who opposed Milwaukee hosting the convention expressed outrage at the shooting, saying at a press conference that it occurred in the park named after civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., in a community already struggling to survive.

“The RNC is not even two days old and we already have a victim,” said Alan Chavoya, a member of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

He continued: “How is this possible?”

There is also a camp for the homeless in the area, the activists said during the press conference.

Two witnesses told reporters that the victim was a homeless man who was trying to flee from police when he was hit by gunfire.

Witnesses Christina Kugler and Mark Walker said they did not see what happened before the confrontation. They said several police officers opened fire.

Surveillance video of the confrontation verified by NBC News shows a man falling to the ground on a street as several police officers approach. But before the officers and the man come into view, it is unclear what happened.

Milwaukee police did not respond to a request for comment. Police are expected to hold a press conference on the incident on Tuesday evening.

The organizers planned an evening vigil for the victim.

On Monday, former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, appeared at the party’s convention, which was held at several neighboring downtown venues, including the Fiserv Forum and the Wisconsin Center District.

His appearance followed an assassination attempt on him during a political rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, during which he said he was shot in the ear.

Columbus was among a number of other cities that sent police forces to assist during the convention.

Alicia Victoria Lozano reported from Milwaukee and Dennis Romero from San Diego.