Officer who killed three men in five years suspended

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MILWAUKEE (AP) — A suburban Milwaukee police and fire commission has suspended an officer who shot and killed three people in the line of duty in the last five years.

The Wauwatosa commission’s unanimous vote Wednesday comes a day after the Common Council passed a resolution calling for the removal of Officer Joseph Mensah.

The commission approved hiring a third-party investigator to look into a complaint against Mensah by the family of Jay Anderson Jr., who was killed by the officer in 2016. The complaint calls for Mensah’s removal, the Journal Sentinel reported.

The fatal shootings of Anderson Jr. and Antonio Gonzales in 2015 have been found to be justified self-defense by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office. That office is still investigating the shooting death of Alvin Cole in February.

Mensah shot Gonzales eight times after he refused to drop a sword, according to police.

Mensah approached a parked car where Anderson was sleeping. Mensah said he saw a gun in the car and thought Anderson was reaching for it, so he shot Anderson six times.

In February, Mensah shot and killed Cole, after police responded to a disturbance at Mayfair mall. Police said Cole fired first, with a stolen gun, before Mensah fired five times. The Cole family disputes that Cole fired a gun during the encounter.

The commission did not set a deadline for the investigation to be completed.