Family of Ceasar Stinson speaks after deputy charged in fatal crash
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- There is a picture of Ceasar Stinson that has been shared many times in new stories. He's wearing a hat, has a big smile, and is giving the peace sign.
It was taken the night of his wife's birthday.
"We spent the night dancing and it was such a good memory for me and now having the two memories with that picture, it's just really hard," said Chipo Stinson.
Now, also a reminder of the day he lost his life. Stinson was killed on January 25, when Milwaukee County Deputy Joel Streicher, who was on-duty, collided with his vehicle at 10th and State.
"The absolute love of my life, I lost that, because someone was just reckless," said Stinson.
Streicher was charged Monday, May 18 with homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle.
According to the criminal complaint, Streicher said he had looked at his computer screen, but didn't know how long or how many times. The investigation determined he was in the wrong lane and ran a red light. The crash analysis showed the light was red for 11 seconds prior to the crash.
"In addition to any failure to see the red traffic signal for 11 seconds, as will be shown, the defendant appears to have also failed to see or react to the four seconds of yellow lights prior to the red control lights," according to the complaint.
The complaint states he also did not brake at any point before the crash.
"To drive 11 seconds at 29 to 30 miles an hour without ever looking is just unconscionable," said Attorney Mark Thomsen, who was hired by the Stinson family.
"When he told us that the traffic light was red for 11 seconds, it's like my heart stood still. 11 seconds is a very long time, it's a very long time," Stinson said after receiving details about the crash from the district attorney's office.
"It's like I stopped hearing everything and I just counted 11 seconds, and at any point in that 11 seconds, he could have looked up and done something to stop himself from crash," she said.
The criminal complaint also details a previous crash Streicher was in while on duty back in July 2018. Streicher was in the left lane, which was for left turn only traffic. Instead of turning left, he continued straight and collided with another vehicle that was in the center lane and was properly driving through the intersection.
"I just feel that he lacks humanity, honestly, to just move about life so recklessly and so carelessly, and to be an officer," said Cearra Stinson, Ceasar's daughter.
She said she lost her protector, provider and best friend.
"I would always tell my friends that before they met my dad, 'When you meet my dad, you'll see we don't have a normal father-daughter relationship, we kind of act like brother and sister. We argue like brother and sister, we have things in common like brother and sister.' He was like a friend, a friend to me, he taught me a lot of things I know and molded me into the woman that I am," Cearra said.
"Some people were coming up to us at his funeral that we didn't even know and just reaching out to us, constantly telling us that the impact he had," Cearra said.
"I always knew how great my dad was and appreciated it, but now that he's transitioned, to have so many people come and honor him and his legacy and the actions he was doing, it's amazing and it makes me so happy, and every day I tell him 'thank you' and I tell him that I'm proud of him."
CBS 58 reached out to Streicher's attorney Monday and Wednesday, but have not yet heard back.