DA releases video presentation of evidence involved in police shooting of Alvin Cole

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MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- After the Milwaukee County district attorney announced Officer Joseph Mensah will not be charged in the Feb. 2 shooting of 17-year-old Alvin Cole, details about the investigation were made public. That includes an eight-minute produced video, which compiles some of the evidence. 

The video includes pictures and video from Facebook, Mayfair Mall security video, audio from a police interview with a witness and squad camera video and audio. 

At the beginning of the video you see security video of Alvin Cole entering the mall with a group.  

Next, a slide explains a picture of Alvin Cole on Facebook the night before the incident, shows Cole holding a pistol and explains Cole was not allowed to be in possession of a firearm due to a juvenile conviction. The Facebook picture is then shown. Investigators have said the gun recovered in Cole’s possession after the shooting was previously reported stolen. 

While at the mall, Cole allegedly got in a verbal argument with a man. A clip of that argument, taken from Facebook, is shown. 

The video then has a clip of the police interview with that man. His voice is altered to protect his identity. In the interview, the man tells police Cole flashed a gun with an extended magazine, though Cole did not directly point the gun at the man during the argument. 

Then you hear the dispatch audio, directing officers to the mall for a complaint about a man [later identified as Cole] who may have a gun. 

The video then cuts to squad cam video of officers arriving on scene. You can see Cole and others running from officers and mall security. 

The video shows dash camera video from two officers of the shooting. While the video itself isn’t very clear, you hear audio of an officer, later identified as Mensah, saying, “the gun is out, the gun is out.” You then hear gunshots. 

Investigators say Cole pulled out the gun while running from officers. Investigators say Cole fired one shot and hit himself in the arm. He then is kneeling on the ground. According to the video, Cole is pointing the gun at two officers, and Mensah fires five rounds in two seconds. 

"The evidence showed that Mr. Cole was in fact armed with a firearm when he went to Mayfair Mall. He was involved in a disturbance with one of the patrons there. When he was confronted by the police officers, he ran and during that chase, the firearm was actually discharged. Once he went to the ground, the officers indicated that he never surrendered that firearm and because of that, the way officers are trained is, they are trained that they are authorized to use deadly force if the person has a weapon, they have a means of delivery, and they demonstrate any kind of intent to use that weapon, and in this circumstance, the officers said that Mr. Cole actually retained possession of the weapon through the entire incident and at some point was pointing it in their direction. Based on all of that information, I determined no reasonable jury would convict Officer Mensah because he has a right to self defense just like any other citizen has a right to," said District Attorney John Chisholm. 

At the end of the video, there are pictures of the gun and magazine recovered on scene. 

You can view the video in full below:


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