Residents clean up after violent protest

MADISON, Wis. — Residents of a Milwaukee suburb where protests turned violent after a Black police officer was cleared in the fatal shooting of a Black teenager outside a shopping mall were out early Thursday cleaning up debris from overnight damage to businesses.

Neighbors wearing masks to protect against the coronavirus used brooms to sweep up broken glass and pick up debris after a curfew expired at 6 a.m. Windows were broken at several businesses in Wauwatosa.

Protests came after Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm announced Wednesday that Wauwatosa officer Joseph Mensah would not be charged in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Alvin Cole outside Mayfair Mall on Feb. 2. Chisholm said Mensah had a reasonable belief that deadly force was necessary after police responded to a reported disturbance at the shopping center.

On Wednesday night, about 100 protesters confronted police officers wearing tactical gear and carrying shields. Police said some protesters threw rocks at law enforcement officers and buildings, and that they used tear gas to disperse them.

Chisholm, in a 14-page letter laying out his rationale, said evidence showed that Cole fled from police carrying a stolen 9mm handgun. He cited squad car audio evidence, along with testimony from Mensah and two fellow officers, that he said showed Cole had fired a shot while fleeing and refused commands to drop the gun.

Cole was the third person Mensah has fatally shot since becoming an officer, and Cole’s death has sparked periodic protests in Wauwatosa and the Milwaukee area.