MPD Station Shot Up, Officers Suspended After Police Custody Death

An early morning traffic stop on W. Capitol Dr. last week has led to a cascading series of incidents for the Milwaukee Police Department.

According to MPD, Keishon D. Thomas, 20, was pulled over at approximately 1:55 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Police took Thomas into custody after determining there was an open warrant for his arrest.

MPD, according to its own statements, conducted multiple cell checks during Thomas’ time at its District Five station, 2920 N. Vel R. Phillips Ave. At 5:53 p.m. an officer observed that Thomas was in need of medical attention. But ultimately, after the Milwaukee Fire Department arrived, Thomas was pronounced deceased.

In a statement Wednesday night, MPD said three officers were placed on “administrative duty” according to a departmental policy.

On Friday, during a press conference, Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said three individuals were suspended for their role in the death.

“Yes, I am concerned,” said Norman. “As we are going through this process we are finding some things that need further explanations… we have some concerns that have not been flushed out.”

The unnamed individuals are suspended with pay said Norman. “We have to respect the privacy of the officers. We are still going through an investigation,” he said.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner is performing an autopsy to determine how Thomas died.

“Right now I’m concerned, which is why there is full suspensions,” said the chief.

He said MPD has already changed its booking intake procedures to expand its questions about medications and medical issues to also include narcotics. “We have to be clear about asking those questions so that we understand the scope of what we are dealing with,” said Norman. MPD previously said it recovered suspected illegal narcotics during Thomas’ traffic stop.

A couple of hours after Norman’s press briefing Friday, an individual entered the District Five station and opened fire.

According to MPD, several shots were fired at its employees in the building’s lobby. Members of the public were also present in the lobby at the time.

“An officer returned fire, at which time the suspect fled the location on foot. Officers pursued the armed suspect on foot and encountered him on the 2900 block of N. 6th Street. During the encounter, multiple officers discharged their weapons, subsequently striking the suspect multiple times. No officers or other members of the community were injured. The suspect’s firearm was recovered,” said MPD in a statement.

The suspect, a 23-year-old male, sustained non-fatal injuries and was transported to a hospital for treatment.

The individual, Darreon Parker-Bell, is still recovering in an area hospital. His family confirmed he was a friend of Thomas and that his actions were wrong. At the time of publication, Parker-Bell has yet to be charged, nor identified by the police department.

The seven officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative duty.

The Milwaukee Area Investigative Team, an association of area law enforcement agencies created in 2016, is investigating both incidents. The Waukesha Police Department is the lead agency investigating Thomas’ death. The West Allis Police Department is leading the outside investigation into the shooting.

MPD said it plans to release “community briefings” to discuss both incidents in the future. Those videos, released on the department’s YouTube page, include a mix of body camera footage and explanations from the department on what it believed happened.

A coalition of community groups held a rally at City Hall Friday, at the same time as Norman’s press conference (which was called to discuss traffic safety and afterwards discussed the deaths in custody) to demand MPD release video and other records within 48 hours after high-profile incidents.

The police chief said that wouldn’t be possible given state law that mandates outside investigation of incidents like this and the need for those to be thorough. “We are trying our best to be as communicative as possible, but we have to respect the process,” said Norman. “It is difficult to actually give a firm timeline.”