Two blocks from the RNC, out-of-state police shot and killed a man armed with knives, police said

JAKE OFFENHARTZ, Associated Press

19 mins ago

Officials close off a street near King Park where reports came in of a person being shot during the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention, Tuesday, July 16, 2024, in Milwaukee. The shooting occurred outside the Republican National Convention security perimeter. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Ohio police officers shot and killed a man who was carrying two knives near the convention during the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin, the Milwaukee police chief said Tuesday.

Five Columbus, Ohio, police officers shot the man, who was holding a knife in each hand, refusing to obey police orders and charging at an unarmed man before police fired, Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said at a news conference. Two knives were recovered at the scene, the police chief said.

Police released body camera footage showing officers on bicycles talking before one of them says, “He has a knife.”

Several police officers then shouted “Drop the knife!” and ran toward two men standing in the street. As the armed man approached the unarmed man, the police officers fired their weapons.

“Someone’s life was in danger,” Norman said. “These officers, who were not from this area, took it upon themselves to intervene and save someone’s life today.”

Thousands of officers from numerous jurisdictions are in Milwaukee to provide additional security for the convention, which began Monday and ends Thursday.

The shooting fueled anger among residents who questioned why out-of-state police officers were in their neighborhood, which is about a mile from the convention grounds.

Columbus police officials, the Milwaukee mayor’s chief of staff and a spokesman for the convention’s joint operations center all said there was no evidence the shooting was related to the convention itself.

A cousin and others identified the man killed as 43-year-old Samuel Sharpe.

Milwaukee residents and activists quickly gathered at the scene of the shooting, many of them expressing outrage at the involvement of a police department in the event, and held an all-night vigil.

“You came into our community and shot our family here in a public park,” said Linda Sharpe, a cousin of the man killed. “What are you doing in our town, shooting people?”

Sharpe said her cousin lived in a tent camp across from King Park, where the shooting occurred.

Residents said the encampment has long been a feature of the neighborhood, which has several social service agencies and a homeless shelter. Some said Milwaukee police officers know many of the people living in the tents and may have been able to deescalate the situation.

David Porter, who said he knew Sharpe and was also homeless, was angry that officers from outside Milwaukee were in his neighborhood.

“If the MPD had been there, the man would still be alive,” Porter said, referring to the Milwaukee police.

Norman, the Milwaukee police chief, said 13 officers from a Columbus bicycle patrol unit were in a meeting in their assigned area when they noticed the altercation.

“Officers observed a man carrying a knife in each hand and engaged in an altercation with another unarmed person,” Norman said. They only fired after the armed man ignored several commands and approached the unarmed man, the police chief said.

“This is a situation where someone’s life was in immediate danger,” Norman said.

Columbus police have drawn attention through their Milwaukee-based special operations unit, which is working to improve police-community relations and played a visible role in directing Monday’s largely uneventful protests.

The shooting occurred near King Park, about a mile from the convention center, where a small group of protesters had gathered Monday before marching. That demonstration was followed by dozens of Columbus police officers wearing blue vests emblazoned with the words “Columbus Police Dialogue.”

The Milwaukee County Coroner’s Office said an autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.