Body-worn camera footage of the fatal Milwaukee police shooting near 37th and Wright has been released, prompting sharply contrasting accounts from police and the family of 23-year-old Printis Smith.
The Milwaukee Police Department published the video on Wednesday, 23 September, showing the pursuit and confrontation that ended with Smith being shot dead on 8 September.
Police said officers had attempted to stop a vehicle near 39th Street and Meinecke Avenue because it matched the description of one linked to a shots-fired investigation in nearby Glendale. The vehicle continued before two people got out and ran near 37th and Wright.
One suspect escaped, while an officer pursued Smith on foot. Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said the officer repeatedly ordered him to get on the ground before the pair exchanged gunfire.
The footage shows the officer leaving his squad car and chasing Smith, issuing commands as he closes the distance. The picture then becomes obscured during a struggle, while the sound of the encounter continues. Smith is later seen on the ground with a gun in his hand.
Police said Smith had another firearm in his waistband and that a third weapon was recovered from the vehicle. The officer, a 35-year-old man with more than three years’ service, suffered a non-fatal injury and was released from hospital. He has since been placed on administrative duty, in line with standard procedure.
B’Ivory LaMarr, the civil rights lawyer representing Smith’s family, said relatives who viewed the footage believed it contradicted the police description of a shootout.
“The family states that based off the bodycam footage that they viewed, that there was no shootout,” LaMarr said.
He said the family believed Smith had stopped running and that his back was facing the officer before the shooting. LaMarr described the account given by relatives as “just a cold killing”, while stressing that the circumstances remained subject to investigation.
The Milwaukee Police Association has defended the officer’s actions. Its president, Alexander Ayala, said the video showed Smith fleeing with a handgun, ignoring repeated commands and struggling with the officer at close range.
Ayala said the footage showed Smith’s finger on the trigger and that he pulled it during the confrontation. The union described the officer as having faced an immediate threat to his life.
The Wauwatosa Police Department is leading the independent investigation, which will be reviewed by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office. Investigators have said they are continuing to gather evidence and conduct follow-up interviews.
