MADISON, Wis. — A Black Wisconsin police officer who fatally shot a Black teenager outside a suburban Milwaukee mall in February will not be charged in his death.
Prosecutors said Wednesday that Wauwatosa Officer Joseph Mensah was justified in shooting 17-year-old Alvin Cole outside of Mayfair Mall after a disturbance was reported inside the building on Feb. 2. Authorities say Cole ran from the police and fired first before he was shot.
Cole’s family disputes that he fired the gun and has called for Mensah to be fired.
Cole is the third person Mensah fatally shot in the last five years.
Milwaukee County’s top prosecutor ruled that the previous two shootings were justified self-defense.
According to NBC affiliate WTMJ-TV, Gov. Tony Evers activated the National Guard in Wisconsin on Wednesday ahead of the announcement to support local authorities in Wauwatosa.
“One of our core missions in the Wisconsin National Guard is to serve our fellow citizens and preserve public safety,” Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp, Wisconsin’s adjutant general told WTMJ. “Our Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen live and work in the same communities all across Wisconsin, and we’re well-trained and prepared to assist our neighbors in any way we can.”
WTMJ later reported that a nightly curfew was ordered in Wauwatosa through Monday, Oct. 12.
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