Closing arguments underway in civil trial of former Wauwatosa officer Joseph Mensah
Waukesha County Sheriff\'s Department/Family of Alvin Cole MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- It's day three of the federal civil trial for former Wauwatosa Police Officer Joseph Mensah and closing arguments are underway.
The family of 17-year-old Alvin Cole is seeking monetary damages, hoping to prove Mensah used excessive force when he shot and killed Cole outside Mayfair Mall in 2020.
Mensah wasn't criminally charged then, as the district attorney deemed it self-defense.
His attorneys spent Wednesday morning calling more witnesses.
It's been tumultuous, with the attorneys from both sides hurling objections throughout and having discussions away from the jury with the judge about disagreements over evidence, relevance, and prior testimony.
We heard from Wauwatosa Police Officer Evan Olson, who was there the night Mensah shot Cole.
Olson claims he saw Cole pointing a gun at him, not at Mensah, and says he was also prepared to use deadly force but did not shoot.
That contradicts other testimonies -- Mensah said the gun was pointed at him.
Former officer, now FBI agent David Shamsi and Officer Jeffrey Johnson both testified they did not see a gun pointed at anyone.
Olson said he spoke to Mensah after the shooting to calm him down.
Investigators for the case testified the officers should have been separated and isolated until they gave reports.
We also heard from the man working mall security at the time, who started chasing Cole after the report that he had a gun.
With the defense expected to rest their case Wednesday, attorneys are hoping there's enough evidence for the jury to make a decision.
This case ended in a mistrial last March due to a hung jury.
