Family of Milwaukee Man Shot to Death During Traffic Stop Insists Officer’s Actions Were Justified: ‘Something We Have to Live With’
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The family of a man who was shot to death by an off-duty Milwaukee police officer acknowledged that the officer’s actions were justified.
The shooting occurred on the evening of October 9, leaving 26-year-old Elijah Wilks dead. In the immediate aftermath of the incident, Wilks’ family demanded answers.
Just days later, the Milwaukee Police Department released footage of the incident from the officer’s dashboard camera. In the video, the officer’s car had a minor collision with a car driven by Wilks. As soon as both cars came to a stop so the drivers could assess the damage, Wilks got out and immediately walked toward the driver’s side of the officer’s car. Wilks was seen yelling at the officer.
When the officer got out of his car, he walked in front of it to look at the spot where the collision had occurred. As he walked, Wilks trailed behind him and continued berating him. Then, Wilks suddenly brandished a handgun and hit the officer in the head with it. The officer pulled out his own firearm and shot Wilks multiple times.
Once the footage was viewed by the family and a lawyer, they acknowledged that Wilks simply made a fatal mistake.
According to a report from Fox 6 Milwaukee:
[Wilks family attorney B’Ivory Lamarr] and the family watched the video Friday and came out right away and said they thought the officer was justified in shooting.
“When we saw the video for the first time, completely silent. You know, I was it was unimaginable, you know, what actually took place, and we requested to see it a second time, and it’s just something that we just have to take acceptance and accountability for,” added Lamarr. “I think it was clear that he definitely brought out the firearm first, and that he, you know violently, kind of swung the firearm in the officer’s direction that resulted in that response.”
The report also cited a statement from Wilks’s aunt Latric Bell. She said that her nephew “made a decision that he should not have made.”
“And that is just something we have to live with,” Bell continued.
