Lakefront shooting video viewed differently
Victim’s family, police disagree on what occurred
The quick release of dash-cam video showing a police chase that ended when a Milwaukee County Sheriff’s deputy fired at the fleeing vehicle, killing the driver and injuring a passenger, has led to different interpretations of what the footage depicts.
Attorneys representing the family of Terry Williams and his passenger, Paula McEwen, say the video shows Williams was not trying to run down anyone when the deputy began shooting and said it’s unclear if Williams lost consciousness from his injuries before swerving.
Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Capt. Daniel Hughes highlighted the deputy’s location in the apparent path of the SUV when showing a slow-motion version of the video to reporters Friday.
“You’ll see the officer right there,” Hughes said. “Now he’s in front of the vehicle.”
Williams, 19, was driving with his girlfriend, McEwen, 23, and another woman near Bradford Beach about 7:40 p.m. Sunday when sheriff’s officials say he failed to comply with a traffic stop.
He fled and drove off the road onto a median near where Deputy Michael Truax was standing.
Truax fired into the vehicle, hitting Williams in the head and McEwen in
the shoulder and right hand. The other female passenger was not injured. Sheriff’s officials say a loaded handgun was found in the car.
Attorneys for McEwen and Williams’ family argue the information about the gun was released as part of an apparent “smear campaign” against Williams.
The female passengers had no knowledge of the gun, no one in the car pointed the weapon at anyone and deputies could not have seen the gun through the tinted windows, attorneys Jovan Blacknell and Ian Wallach said in a news release.
The California-based attorneys also are doing the same thing as official investigators: calling for witnesses to come forward and share video. They’ve created a website, justiceinwisconsin.com, for witnesses to upload video and other information.
The dramatic dash-cam video showed a deputy squad car attempting to pull over the SUV as it heads west up Water Tower Road. Lights are flashing and the deputy can be heard on the loudspeaker saying, “pull to the right.”
Williams then cuts left through a rare gap in the bumper-to-bumper oncoming traffic, driving across a grassy field and onto southbound Lincoln Memorial Drive. He turns left again across the median, making a U-turn of sorts, and heads back north into the median near where Truax is standing.
Shots can be heard on the video and puffs of smoke can be seen from the gunfire. The video shows Truax jumping back out of the way of the SUV. Truax appears to continue to fire as the SUV crashes into a car stopped at a traffic light.
Hughes answered clarifying questions about what was visible on the video but said he could not answer other questions because of the ongoing investigation being conducted by the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department.
Truax, 32, is on administrative leave, which is standard procedure in such cases. Officials have said little about Truax other than that he was hired as a deputy in August 2016. Public records show he was first hired by Milwaukee County as a corrections officer in June 2015.
He also was sued in federal court in 2010 by a Racine man who alleged he had violated his civil rights in a shoplifting investigation. The case was settled.
Williams has been remembered by family and friends as a “good guy” and caring brother.
On Wednesday, Milwaukee police said Williams had been connected to a dispute that erupted in gunfire but did not injure anyone. It is not clear whether deputies were aware Williams was wanted for questioning when they chased him.