Shooting of homeless man near RNC probed; activists say 'blood is on city's hands'

Milwaukee-area police were investigating Wednesday the fatal shooting of a homeless man by five police officers from Columbus, Ohio, whose presence to bolster security at the GOP convention drew criticism from local residents hours after the killing.

Body camera footage shows the moments before the officers shot the man, who had a knife in each hand and was engaged in a dispute with another man blocks from the Republican National Convention in downtown Milwaukee on Tuesday afternoon. The incident was unrelated to the GOP gathering.

The officers were in a briefing when they noticed the dispute and ran toward it, yelling for the armed man − identified by a family member as Samuel Sharpe Jr. − to drop the knife. When he lunged toward the other man, they fired at Sharpe and killed him.

Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said the officers' actions were justified. "Someone's life was in danger," he said. "These officers who are not from this area took upon themselves to act to save someone's life today."

During a Tuesday night vigil, activist Alan Chavoya with the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression said the group had warned city officials against bringing in police unfamiliar with Milwaukee and its residents, arguing locals are better suited at policing themselves.

"We told them this would happen," he said. "Blood is on the city's hands."

The Milwaukee Area Investigative Team, led by the police department of the nearby Greenfield suburb, is investigating the shooting.

Here's what to know:

RNC shooting:Fatal shooting of homeless man raises security questions about out-of-state police at RNC

When and where was the shooting?

The shooting occurred less than a mile from the convention.

Officials had amplified security measures following Saturday's assassination attempt against former president Donald Trump in Pennsylvania.

Who was killed?

Sharpe, known by the nickname Jehovah, was unhoused and lived in a tent encampment in Milwaukee's King Park. Loved ones described him as "a beautiful person" who was known to walk his dog and carry a Bible.

Why were Columbus police officers there?

Community members pointed out how the five officers involved in the shooting were not from the city. They were among the thousands of officers from other locations brought in to boost security for the convention.

Roughly 4,000 officers from law enforcement agencies outside the city were brought in to assist Milwaukee with security this week, city officials estimated before the convention, and outside officers were scheduled for nonpublic-facing roles such as traffic control.

Columbus police said the five officers involved in the shooting were set to return home.

Milwaukee, Columbus officials respond

Norman and Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther defended the officers. Ginther said the body-camera footage "shows that Columbus' officers acted in accordance with their training to prevent physical harm to a potential victim."

"Columbus officers were guests in Milwaukee, but they take an oath to protect and serve, wherever and whenever they are called to service," Ginther said.

Community members question involvement of out-of-city cops

Milwaukee Alderman Robert Bauman, who represents the area where the shooting took place, suggested the incident may have gone differently if a local officer had been involved.

They would have known, "no, no, no, this is King Park, this is a known area for homeless to camp out, lots of folks with mental disabilities in here, tread carefully, de-escalate," Bauman said.

Others who criticized the involvement of Columbus officers include Shelly Sarasin of Street Angels, an outreach group that provides materials for unhoused people at the nearby tent encampment, and Aurelia Ceja of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

"Our Milwaukee police officers know about this camp and know about the people staging there and understand the issues that go along with experiencing homelessness," Sarasin said. "He didn’t have to be shot … by an officer who wasn’t from here."

Local resident Maria Hamilton said police in general are quick to fire their weapons and slow to try to de-escalate tense situations, and she can't wait until the officers from elsewhere are gone.

"I know that we got another 72 hours of this invasion," Hamilton said as she stood with about 100 people at the vigil. "Do what you came to do and get the hell out of our town."

Contributing: John Diedrich, Ashley Luthern, Jessica Van Egeren, Sophie Carson and David Clarey of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; Bethany Bruner, Bailey Gallion and Shahid Meighan of The Columbus Dispatch and Michael Loria, Michael Collins, USA TODAY.

Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected].