Police: Woman shot by Tosa officer advanced with ‘post’
WAUWATOSA - A 35-year-old woman is in the hospital after she was shot by a Wauwatosa police officer Thursday night after advancing on the officer with a “wooden post,” according to Wauwatosa Police.
Police responded to a call for an assault in the 7900 block of Harwood Avenue around 9:15 p.m. The caller told police she witnessed a woman “violently attacking a female victim with a stick.”
Police said that after the reported attack, the woman was seen walking eastbound on Harwood Avenue in the village area of the city. A Wauwatosa police officer responded and found the woman near Harwood and Underwood avenues.
“The subject immediately ran up to the officer’s police vehicle and began striking the windshield with a wooden post,” a press release from the Wauwatosa Police Department said. “When confronted by the officer, the subject refused to comply with the officer’s commands and advanced on the officer with the wooden post. The officer was forced to shoot the subject.”
After she was shot, Wauwatosa police said, the woman continued to strike the squad car.
“Several responding officers were required to take the subject into custody,” the release said.
The woman was taken to a hospital and is in stable condition.
A 23-year-old female Wauwatosa police officer, with nine months experience, shot the woman, police said.
The Milwaukee Area Investigative Team is investigating the incident, led by the West Allis Police Department.
Officers from multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the scene, including Brookfield and West Allis police, the Milwaukee County Sheriff ’s Office and Wisconsin State Patrol.
This is the second Wauwatosa police officer-involved shooting in the city this year. The incident also comes just weeks after a shooting inside Mayfair mall sent eight people to the hospital.
“The Wauwatosa community has experienced another difficult moment in a difficult year,” said Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride. “We are grieving for all those involved in this unfortunate incident, including the police officers and the woman who was shot. I ask for patience, understanding, and prayers as the West Allis Police Department, which is investigating the incident, sorts through the facts.”