Advertisement

Medical examiner identifies man suspected of wounding deputy

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The death of a man suspected of shooting and injuring a Milwaukee County sheriff's deputy has officially been listed as a suicide, the county medical examiner's office said Thursday.

The medical examiner identified the man as Johnathon Carl Williamson, 19, of Milwaukee, following an autopsy.

Sheriff's officials said they encountered a man while searching for an individual who shot a sheriff's deputy multiple times early Wednesday following a traffic stop. The man was found crouched behind a vehicle, given some commands and then took his own life with a gun, officials said.

The deputy was released from a Milwaukee hospital Thursday evening and was greeted outside by law enforcement officers and families who delivered an applause and hugs.

The shootings happened after a deputy made a traffic stop about 2 a.m. in Milwaukee. The driver and passenger in the stopped vehicle fled from the scene on foot and the driver was arrested after a brief chase, according to Sheriff Earnell Lucas.

Other law enforcement officers responded to the scene and began to search for the passenger who fled. During the search, a deputy saw a man climbing out of a garbage bin in the neighborhood.

Another deputy approached the man, who fired at the deputy, striking him several times in both arms and the torso, Lucas said. The 26-year-old deputy has been with the department for 18 months.

No officers fired their weapons, Lucas said.

Another person found walking in the neighborhood was arrested after a brief chase and deputies were trying to determine whether that person was involved in the shooting as well, Lucas said.