Police shoot two teens, one whose pregnancy ended, on Milwaukee highway after suspected carjacking

Milwaukee police shot an 18-year-old pregnant woman, ending the pregnancy, on Interstate 43 Thursday after a chase, as the pursued vehicle was wanted in connection to two recent armed carjacking incidents downtown.

Another teen, a 17-year-old boy, was shot and injured, Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said at a news conference. It's unclear if any of the occupants in the suspected vehicle fired shots at officers, Norman said, but a firearm was recovered inside the vehicle.

Norman said the police shooting took place around 2:30 p.m. on I-43 near West Vienna Avenue. After the suspected vehicle fled a traffic stop at North 17th and West Vliet streets, the driver entered a construction zone on the highway where several workers were and was blocked by the construction and a cement truck. Norman said.

The driver used the suspected vehicle to back into a squad car and, after moving forward, backed the vehicle again, coming close to hitting an officer standing nearby, Norman said. When that happened, another officer shot his weapon, striking two teens inside the vehicle, Norman said.

Six people were inside the vehicle. An 18-year-old Milwaukee woman has life-threatening injuries and a 17-year-old boy has serious injuries, Norman said.

The other four occupants, ages 15 to 18, were also taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries. No other members of the public or officers were injured.

The officer who fired shots, a 25-year-old man with over four years of service, was placed on administrative duty, per department policy. The West Allis Police Department is the lead agency in the investigation.

An attempted carjacking occurred earlier Thursday in the 500 block of North Broadway and a carjacking occurred in 500 block of North Jefferson Street, according to Norman.

Both carjacking victims are "OK," he said.

Carjackings — which involve the taking of a car by threat or force, often with a weapon — have a emerged as a new issue of concern for police and violence prevention officials. There were 450 people who were carjacked in Milwaukee in 2023, a 16% increase from the previous year.

The upward trend is continuing, with carjackings up another 12% compared to 2023, as of June 19.

The incident closed I-43 from Capitol Drive to Locust Street during the evening rush hour. Southbound traffic on I-43 was backed up to East Bradley Road in Fox Point and through the Marquette interchange downtown.

Maurice Greenwood, 36, was on his way home from his job at a fast-food restaurant on the south side when he was met with gridlock near downtown.

Police diverted him and thousands of other motorists onto Seventh Street, which runs parallel to the interstate. Vehicles, backed up bumper to bumper, inched through the north side while investigators collected evidence on the highway just a few yards away.

"I had no idea I'd run into something like this," Greenwood said while stuck in traffic at Seventh Street and King Drive. "You just never know what's gonna happen on any day of the week."

By the time he arrived at Seventh and King, he had been in traffic for roughly two hours.

The side-street traffic jam caught the attention of nearby residents. They were unaware of what happened on the freeway below, but figured the situation was serious, given the police presence.

"This is crazy," said Da'neesha Johnson, 22, as she walked by another taped-off section by Seventh Street. "It's hard to feel safe out here anymore."

All lanes of I-43 northbound and southbound were closed from 2:40 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. Thursday, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

Norman didn't say if the suspects fired shots

Norman, who recently applied for a new job in Austin, Texas, wasn't able to answer whether anyone shot at officers. "At this time, it's unknown," he said, adding it's "an ongoing investigation."

"I cannot explain what (officers) felt at the time, I just understand in regards to what we know at this time, and that there was a confrontation of sorts at that particular location," Norman said.

The department's use of force policy addresses discharging firearms at moving vehicles. Officers are prohibited from firing at moving vehicles "unless deadly physical force is being used against the police member or another person by means other than a moving vehicle," and that the "risks are outweighed by the need to use deadly force."

Norman said the driver of the suspected vehicle intentionally reversed into a squad car, then drove forward and reversed again while an officer was standing behind the vehicle.

The department's policy specifically states that it is "not intended" to stop an officer from firing their weapon when it is "reasonably perceived that the vehicle is being used as a weapon against the officer or others."

The Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission approved a new policy in April that would require police to release footage from "critical incidents" within 15 days. However, a Milwaukee County judge temporarily blocked the policy from taking effect. Instead, police operate under a department goal to release the footage within 45 days.

Norman asks parents to step up on first day of summer

Following a prepared statement, Norman spoke off-script about the state of crime in Milwaukee as Thursday marked the first day of summer and the Republican National Convention, which will bring thousands of visitors to town, is set to take place in weeks.

According to police, Milwaukee has had fewer homicides this year than in recent years at this time, but increasingly the victims and suspects are young people, often minors.

"As we're embarking on summertime, it is imperative that we understand, where are our children?" Norman said.

"We have multiple young people involved in unacceptable behavior in this city. This is unacceptable. Parents, what is going on with your children? People in our community, how are we helping to keep our kids in positive behaviors, rather than what we are seeing today?

"This should never have happened. ... There are no winners in this particular situation. So I'm asking the community, let's take our kids and embrace them in a positive way to engage in positive behaviors and not in these unacceptable behaviors we saw today."

A reporter asked if the department has plans to engage youth, which got a rise out of Norman.

"I've said this many times. We are in law enforcement. We enforce the law. Policing the community is all of our responsibility. ... It's more than just us. Don't put that all on us.

"Our kids, they need us. They're crying for us."

Where to find help

Milwaukee's Office of Community Wellness of Safety recommends these resources for free support:

414Life outreach and conflict mediation support: 414-439-5525.

Milwaukee County's 24-Hour Mental Health Crisis Line: 414-257-7222.

Milwaukee's Child Mobile Crisis and Trauma Response Team: 414-257-7621.

National crisis text line: Text HOPELINE to 741741 to text with a trained crisis counselor.

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-8255.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Police shoot two teens on I-43 after suspected carjackings