Milwaukee police release footage in the fatal shooting of Herman Lucas, but it remains unclear if he pointed his gun at officers
The Milwaukee Police Department on Friday released redacted footage of the fatal police shooting of Herman Lucas, but it is unclear from the video provided if Lucas pointed a gun at the officer prior to the officer killing him.
Footage shows Lucas running from officers, with a gun in hand, following a crash. He attempts to scale a fence, falls down and had his back turned at the officer, but was turning to face him as the officer approached. The officer then shoots Lucas multiple times, but the officer's extended arm blocks the bodycam, obstructing the view of Lucas' hands.
In the footage provided by MPD, Inspector Craig Sarnow, acting as the video's narrator, does not say Lucas pointed a gun at the officer, but says Lucas "turned towards the officer." At the time of the incident, Chief Jeffrey Norman said it was unknown if the man pointed a gun at police.
Kent Lovern, Milwaukee County’s chief deputy district attorney, said Friday the findings of the investigation were turned over to his office days ago and no decision on possible charges have been made. The Waukesha Police Department was the agency leading in the investigation.
The department also addressed public concerns regarding a bystander's video following the shooting where officers move Lucas' body. Sarnow said officers attempted to move him to level ground after approaching cautiously as they were unsure if Lucas still posed an active threat.
The incident began with a traffic stop around 1:48 p.m. Feb. 21 on the 7000 block of West Thurston Avenue on Milwaukee’s northwest side. Police said officers pulled over the vehicle for not having license plates.
The driver initially stopped but then fled west as officers approached on foot. After traveling about a mile and a half with police in pursuit, the driver disregarded a red light and crashed into another car on the 9100 block of West Silver Spring Drive.
Lucas, 31, is seen exiting the vehicle from the driver's side and fleeing with a gun. Video shows Lucas running through a gas station parking lot while an officer yells "Drop the gun! Drop the gun!" That is when Lucas attempts to scale the fence and the officer closes in yelling commands before firing and killing Lucas.
The officer has not been publicly identified, but was described by Norman as a 43-year-old man with more than five years of service with the department. He was placed on routine administrative duty after the incident.
Bystander's video shows officers moving Lucas' body, causing public concern
Friday’s release also addressed the aftermath of the shooting, which was recorded by a bystander and shared widely on social media out of concern for how police handled Lucas’ body.
The bystander video shows at least four police officers cautiously approaching Lucas’ body as it lays unresponsive on the ground in a corner of a gas station lot, where a fence and building meet. The officers’ guns are drawn and at least one holds a tactical shield as they appear to shout orders at Lucas to put his hands on his side.
Lucas never moves.
Sarnow said officers conducted a tactical evaluation of the situation to determine if Lucas still posed a threat. An officer's bodycam footage shows officers close in on Lucas' body before one officer points out a gun near Lucas' body.
Once officers close in, the bodycam footage shows an officer grab Lucas by the foot and drag him several feet away from the corner. One officer states "Careful, his foot!" Lucas' other foot was caught along the fence.
The same officer who points out Lucas' foot also asks his fellow officers to "glove up" while handling the body, to which officers do not initially comply.
Multiple officers then help pick up his body and move him further away. Sarnow said Lucas was moved to attempt life-saving measures. Video shows one officer pumping Lucas' chest.
The treatment of Lucas' body spurs investigation and reaction from officials
In February, the department announced a “full administrative investigation” into the incident, but that none of the officers seen handling Lucas' body in the bystander video had their work status changed.
That investigation was still ongoing as of March 31, according to city officials who briefly discussed the topic during a meeting of the city’s Public Safety and Health Committee.
During that discussion, Leon Todd, the executive director of the Fire and Police Commission, which has oversight powers over the Police Department, said there are no standard operating procedures that explicitly govern how officers should handle human remains.
But there are other, general standards in place that apply and forbid officers from conduct that would bring discredit to the department, Sarnow said.
Ald. Milele Coggs said she wanted to revisit the discussion at the committee’s next meeting in late April, hopefully after the conclusion of the investigation to allow for a more robust discussion.
The day following the incident, Mayor Cavalier Johnson told the Journal Sentinel he believed officers were moving Lucas' body to render life support.
Contact Elliot Hughes at elliot.hughes@jrn.com or 414-704-8958. Follow him on Twitter @elliothughes12.
Contact Drake Bentley at (414) 391-5647 or DBentley1@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DrakeBentleyMJS.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee police release footage of fatal shooting of Herman Lucas
