Police shoot man near Republican National Convention in Milwaukee

The Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, ahead of the Republican National Convention on Sunday, July 14, 2024.

On Tuesday, police from another state shot and killed a man blocks from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

The man was shot by Columbus, Ohio, police officers who were in the city to attend the convention. Thousands of police officers are in the area to provide extra security, The Associated Press reported.

Neighbors were angry and questioned why officials from other states were in the area, which was about a mile from Congress, according to the AP.

Columbus police said in a post on social media platform X that the incident “occurred within the outer perimeter of the RNC, within the operational zone to which our officers were assigned.”

The agency said the situation did not appear to be related to the meeting, but that a team in Milwaukee was investigating.

Milwaukee police said 13 uniformed officers from Columbus were assigned to bicycle patrol in a specific area when they observed an individual “carrying a knife in each hand and engaged in an altercation with another unarmed individual.”

“The officers identified themselves as police officers and repeatedly ordered the suspect to drop the knife,” police said. “The offender refused to comply with these commands and attacked the other person with the knives. At this point, several officers simultaneously fired their firearms, striking the suspect.”

Milwaukee police identified the man as a 43-year-old. An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.

TMJ4 in Milwaukee reported that the victim was a homeless man, according to Milwaukee Street Angels, an organization that works with the homeless.

Other community members told AP that the man was well known to locals and others living near a tent camp in the area.

TMJ4 reported that witnesses said he was trying to cross the street when they heard six or seven shots, either from one or more officers.

According to AP, the shooting occurred near where protesters had gathered a day earlier near King Park. After the demonstration, Columbus police officers wore vests reading “Columbus Police Dialogue.”

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said on Sunday that they were “very pleased” with the security situation at the party convention after an assassination attempt on former President Trump at a rally over the weekend.

Whatley noted that the committee is working with a variety of law enforcement agencies to prepare for the influx of people.