MPD officers charged in death
Two Milwaukee Police Department officers have been charged with felonies related to the 2022 overdose death of a prisoner.
Officers Donald Krueger and Marco Lopez face separate felony charges for the abuse of 20-year-old Keishon D. Thomas while he was held in custody and misconduct in public office by making a false entry, respectively. Both officers were suspended with pay after the incident. Lopez remains suspended. Krueger retired in 2022 after 25 years with the department, according to a department press release.
According to the criminal complaint, around 1:55 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022, officers arrested Thomas during a traffic stop for a warrant. After taking him to the District Five station, they found marijuana and cocaine in his possession. The man admitted to ingesting various narcotics, including cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy.
Thomas also admitted this while being booked in the precinct by Krueger. Although Thomas said he didn’t want to go to the hospital, he was visibly ill, throwing up, dry heaving and sweating.
Krueger told Thomas he’d call an ambulance, but never did. Instead, he placed him in a holding cell.
Krueger didn’t note the man had ingested drugs, despite Thomas admitting to it and Thomas’ health screening was captured on precinct video cameras, according to the complaint.
When Krueger’s shift ended, Lopez took over booking duties, which include making checks of each prisoner every 15 minutes. Investigators found that Lopez made false entries about his wellness checks. This included stating he visibly checked on each prisoner, which video records show he did not.
In total, Lopez reportedly missed 10 checks between 9:15 a.m. and 3 p.m. Lopez’s reports also included inaccurate prisoner counts.
During the missed checks, Lopez was seen watching something on his computer with other officers, painting, checking his cellphone and working on his tablet.
In a statement to the investigator, Lopez said that his job was to “visibly check on prisoners” and that “each time you make a check you are supposed to make an audio and visual check of the inmates.”
“When I made audio checks of prisoners, I was at the booking area desk listening to the prisoners,” Lopez said. Audio checks are not part of the procedure, the complaint said.
When Lopez’s shift concluded, another officer took over. Around 5:43 p.m., the officer found Thomas in need of medical assistance. Lifesaving measures were completed by the officer and the Milwaukee Fire Department. Thomas was declared dead at 6:19 p.m.
An autopsy showed that Thomas died of acute mixed drug intoxication. Fentanyl, fluorofentnayl, cocaine and methamphetamine were found in his system.
The investigator determined both officers neglected their duties.
Both officers face a maximum penalty of up to three and a half years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
In 2021, Krueger was paid about $91,300, while Lopez was paid about $86,000, according to city salary records. Since his retirement, Krueger has been receiving about $5,000 in monthly pension payments, city records show.
MPD provided the following statement in a press release about the charges being filed:
“The Milwaukee Police Department holds all members to the highest degree of integrity and if any member violates the code of conduct they will be held accountable. Our members must not discredit what this department stands for, particularly when taking an oath to preserve and protect life. The Milwaukee Police Department extends its deepest sympathies to the Thomas family on the loss of their loved one.”
Nationally recognized civil rights attorney Ben Crump is representing the Thomas family. In a statement, Crump and his partner Steven Hart said “Keishon’s death could have been prevented if the officers who were responsible for him at the time of his arrest followed the protocol.”
Crump has represented families across the U.S. on civil cases, seeking financial compensation for personal injury and civil rights violations. He has represented the families of Tyre Nichols, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and more.
Louisville awarded Taylor’s family $12 million in 2020 and Minneapolis awarded Floyd’s family $27 million in 2021.
“Keishon’s family will never know if he could have been saved by proper medical attention,” the attorneys wrote.
“Officer Lopez lied about following protocol and checking on the inmate he was responsible for, and Krueger didn’t give Keishon the medical attention he obviously needed when he saw him dry heave. The role of police officers is to help people, but when Keishon needed help the most, he was ignored and left to die.”
Beloved member of big family
Thomas was a father of two toddlers. He loved basketball and cars and was remembered as a happy, outgoing caretaker to a large family.
He was the second-oldest in a family of nine children. His older sister Armada Cleveland told the Journal Sentinel a year ago that he was constantly looking after family members, doing everything from acting as a protector to helping others with schoolwork.
She added he loved playing basketball and rapping with friends, late-night drives and collecting model cars.
His family also shared Thomas would buy them groceries, pick up medications for them and share his food stamps with them.
Two days after Thomas died in police custody, his friend Darreon Parker-Bell opened fire in the District Five station. Parker-Bell’s girlfriend of two years at the time later told the Journal Sentinel that Parker-Bell reached a “breaking point” when Thomas died.
Parker-Bell fired multiple shots, including two toward a counter where an officer was sitting. When officers fired back, Parker-Bell fled. He was later located in a backyard. Officers shot Parker-Bell multiple times after he pointed a gun them. He was taken and treated at a local hospital.
Parker-Bell was charged with one count of first-degree attempted homicide and seven counts of recklessly endangering safety. He is scheduled for a jury trial in April.
Ashley Luthern and Drake Bentley of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed.