MPD releases body camera video of officer-involved shooting in I-43 construction zone

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee police on Friday, Aug. 2 released video of an officer-involved shooting that happened in June on I-43. 

This shooting happened Thursday, June 20 on I-43 North after the chase ended when the suspect driving a stolen SUV was blocked by a construction truck.

The SUV had been reported stolen on June 8, and investigators connected the vehicle to an attempted armed carjacking earlier on June 20 downtown, then a successful carjacking that also happened downtown. 

Police said the six teens initially pulled over for police but then took off. Officers chased the SUV, and the pursuit reached I-43 with the suspects veering into a construction zone along the left shoulder of the northbound lanes.

The driver was then blocked by the truck, which was parked across the construction zone between the Keefe Ave. and Capitol Dr. exits.

Dashcam video from one of the squad cars shows officers approach the SUV, give several commands to stop the car and order the teens to get out. The driver of the white SUV instead backed into the police car, drove forward, then back up again while an officer was behind the SUV.

Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said the night of the shooting the officer who began shooting did so out of concern another officer was in the path of the reversing SUV. 

Body camera footage showed an officer firing about 10 shots. The bullets hit two of the suspects. The driver, 17-year-old Calveyon Jeans was treated for serious injuries after being shot in the arm and jaw. The front seat passenger, 19-year-old Ashley Patterson suffered life-threatening injuries from wounds to her head and back.

Patterson was also 'visibly pregnant' according to court records, and her unborn child did not survive the shooting. 

Four of the six teens were 17 or older at the time of the incident, and each have been charged with multiple felonies. 

Lo Cross, co-chair of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, said Friday she has been in touch with at least three of the teens' families. Cross said Patterson remains in the hospital, and a press release from the group later said the teen is still on life support.

"I was actually the first one to send [the video] to [some of the families]," Cross said. "They're getting it at the same time we are."

Cross said the teens' relatives are upset police did not share the video with them before releasing it to the public.

"There was no harm analysis conducted as to, like, what effect this would have on the families if they weren't able to see the footage before the public saw it," Cross said. "I don't think that helps with their emotional processing. I think it's quite overwhelming for them."

Milwaukee police communications office did not respond to questions Friday about Jeans' and Patterson's conditions, nor did they respond to questions about whether MPD had attempted to show the video to the teens' families prior to Friday's release.

Last month, the Milwaukee Police Association, which serves as the union for rank-and-file officers, dropped a lawsuit challenging a new body camera policy adopted last year by the Fire and Police Commission.

The adopted policy calls for MPD to release footage from critical incidents to the suspect's family within 48 hours and to the public within 15 days.

The June 20 incident happened before the union withdrew its lawsuit, and beyond that, there are questions over whether the policy is even enforceable in light of a new state shared revenue law that also stripped Milwaukee's Fire and Police Commission of the power to set department policy.

"We are working with the City Attorney's Office to understand how this affects the policy and the case," MPD spokesperson told CBS 58 last month.

West Allis police led the investigation into the June 20 shooting, itself. Deputy Chief Bob Fletcher said Friday West Allis investigators turned their findings over to the Milwaukee County District Attorney's office earlier this week for review of any possible criminal conduct by the officers.

 As for the suspects, Jeans faces nine total felony counts stemming from the incident, and he's due back in court later this month for a hearing. Patterson, who faces two felony charges, has a status conference scheduled for later this month.

18-year-old Semira Dean is charged with four felony counts and has a hearing set for later this month. Tyrone Rogers, 17, is the suspected armed carjacker, and he's facing two felony counts in connection to the incident.

Rogers has a plea and sentencing date scheduled for September in the I-43 incident, and he's also due in court that same day for a plea and sentencing hearing for three felony charges tied to a stolen car case in Greenfield.

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