Joseph Mensah: Former Wauwatosa officer faces federal civil trial again, for killing teen in 2020
MILWAUKEE COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) — A former police officer is back in court this week, once again facing a federal civil trial.
The family of Alvin Cole filed a lawsuit against Joseph Mensah, who served on the Wauwatosa Police Department when he shot and killed then 17-year-old Cole on Feb. 2, 2020.
The shooting happened in the parking lot near The Cheesecake Factory at Mayfair Mall.
According to investigators, mall security called police about a person with a gun, giving Cole's description.
As officers found and chased Cole in the parking lot, he accidentally shot himself in the left arm and fell to the ground.
Ten seconds after he fell, Mensah shot at Cole five times, killing him.
He was the third person Mensah had killed on duty in five years.
The Milwaukee County district attorney said all three cases were justified as self-defense; Cole's family wants to prove the shooting was excessive force, and they're seeking monetary damages for the loss.
The case first went to trial in March 2025 but ended in a mistrial with a hung jury.
Now, a new jury will hear testimony from other officers, experts, on-scene witnesses, and Mensah himself.
After opening statements Monday, the jury heard from former Wauwatosa officer David Shamsi, who testified he was standing closest to Cole when Mensah fired.
Shamsi said he was focused on Cole's hand and did not see him point his gun at Mensah or anyone else.
Attorneys reviewed dash cam video and audio from Shamsi's squad car.
Wauwatosa police officers did not wear body cameras at the time of the shooting.
The jury also heard from a woman who drove past the scene with her family and saw Mensah fire at Cole as he was lying on the ground.
The trial is expected to last three to four days in federal court.
Mensah no longer works in law enforcement.
He left the Wauwatosa Police Department in 2021 for the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department and resigned from there this past July.