Police: Woman wielding stick, involved in violent altercation, shot by Wauwatosa officer
WAUWATOSA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- New details were released into an officer-involved shooting that happened in Wauwatosa Thursday night, Dec. 10. Police say a 23-year-old female officer with the Wauwatosa Police Department shot a woman involved in an altercation.
“This was pretty significant, there were a lot of vehicles, a lot of sirens and they were coming from all directions," Kevin Pulz said. He lives near the shooting scene.
Wauwatosa police got a call about a suspicious situation near 79th and Harwood Avenue around 9 p.m. A witness told police they saw a 35-year-old woman attacking another woman with a stick. Police say the attack was random and unprovoked.
An officer found the woman near Harmonee and Underwood. The woman then ran up to the officer squad car and began hitting the windshield with the pole. Police say the 35-year-old refused to comply with officers when told to stop. Officials say she then advanced on the officer with the pole. That's when the officer shot her.
“There’s a fear of here we go again," Pulz said.
Police say even after being shot, the woman continued to be aggressive. It took several officers to take her into custody. This shooting incident immediately sparked protests at the scene.
“They were shouting pretty good at the police who stood their ground," Pulz said. “Whether things are justified or not, people are going to get very upset and that’s what we saw last night.”
The woman was taken to a local hospital for treatment and police say she is in stable condition after surgery.
The Milwaukee Area Investigative Team (MAIT) is investigating the incident, in accordance with Wisconsin State Statute, led by the West Allis Police Department.
The Wauwatosa Police Department is looking for additional witnesses, to include both eye witness accounts and video evidence, from the incident in the area from Watertown Plank Rd/N 94 St to Harmonee and Wauwatosa Avenues, between the hours of 5 p.m. and 9:20 p.m.