Mayor Johnson Addresses ‘Tragic’ Police Involved Killing

Mayor Cavalier Johnson addressed reporters early Wednesday morning. Photo taken July 16, 2024 by Sophie Bolich.

Tuesday’s programming for the Republican National Convention centered on the party’s vow to “Make America Safe Again.”

In the early afternoon, more than a half-mile west of the convention site, five out-of-town police officers killed Milwaukee resident Sam Sharpe.

The incident occurred at approximately 1:10 p.m. near the intersection of W. Vliet and N. 14th streets, a location that’s well outside of the RNC security perimeter — across Interstate 43 — in an area with few hotels or attractions.

At that time, a group of Columbus, Ohio officers witnessed Sharpe, observed to be armed with a knife in each hand, approaching another individual, Police Chief Jeffrey Norman told reporters in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.

Body camera footage released Tuesday afternoon appears to confirm the chief’s statement, showing Sharpe facing away from the officers and moving towards the other individual as gunshots rang out. Officers could be heard instructing Sharpe to drop the knife prior to the shooting.

“No one — absolutely no one — wanted this outcome, and I anticipate a full as well as thorough investigation,” said Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson at a press conference early Wednesday morning. “The deceased individual had family and friends, and my thoughts certainly are with them. My thoughts are also with the police officers from Columbus, Ohio. I’m sure they did not expect to be drawn into a tragic situation such as the one that they were involved in yesterday.”

The mayor confirmed that the Milwaukee Area Investigative Team will investigate the officers-involved shooting, keeping with standard protocol.

In addressing reporters, Johnson sought to separate the killing from the presence of the RNC, which brought law enforcement officers from more than 100 agencies into the city.

“Other than the fact that out-of-town officers were involved in this incident, I know of no other connections to the convention,” he said.

Heading into the convention, it was residents’ understanding that outside officers were to be paired with MPD personnel, who would handle “front-facing” encounters and engage with Milwaukee residents.

That was supposed to be the case on Tuesday afternoon, Johnson said.

“These were bicycle officers who were out, and they were there briefing about the activities for the day … not seeking to engage with anybody, from my understanding. They then saw the situation that was unfolding. That’s when the police action took place.”

Johnson didn’t have a clear answer for how policing will proceed for the remainder of the convention, which continues through July 18.

“Typically … if there are officers that are engaging directly with folks as front-facing officers, then they would be accompanied by Milwaukee police officers,” he said, adding that he expects Norman to be “in touch” with Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies.

As of Tuesday afternoon, officers from Columbus were pulled from duty. Johnson said he’s unsure whether they’ll return to the streets on Wednesday.

Johnson said he’ll continue to follow the situation in partnership with Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther. After a phone call yesterday, the two have “agreed to stay in communication.”

A Milwaukee group that has long warned about the effects of external policing during the RNC spoke out on Tuesday evening.

“Through our work to end police crimes we knew then and tragically see now that the RNC would only bring brutality to Milwaukee,” the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR) wrote in a statement.

The alliance described Sharpe as “an unhoused veteran in his 40s” who “was failed by Milwaukee’s piecemeal social services.” They also criticized officers for the “mismatch of force.”

“The Milwaukee Alliance demands justice for Samuel Sharpe and the King Park community,” the statement concluded. “We demand footage of the murder. We demand suspensions without pay and full investigations. We demand that killer cops involved are tried and convicted. Above all, we demand community control over the cops that currently have free reign over our cities.”

The remainder of Tuesday was “uneventful from a policing perspective,” Johnson said. No arrests occurred overnight; however, “some pushing and shoving” in the afternoon led to the arrest of an individual, later identified as Nour Jaghama. 

Jaghama a Palestinian-American staff member at the anti-war organization CODEPINK, was arrested after Congressman Derrick Van Orden accused her of assaulting him.

Jaghama and her organization dispute this claim, asserting that the congressman “intentionally bumped” into her while she waited in line at an event. For more information on that, see Urban Milwaukee’s story.

And for more information on the shooting, see Urban Milwaukee’s previous coverage.