2024-07-18 13:42:28
Two days after Donald Trump came inches from being seriously injured or killed in an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, members of the US Capitol Police unexpectedly averted another potentially horrific incident at the Republican National Convention.
On Monday night, thousands of Republican National Convention delegates, staff and other Republicans flocked to the Fiserv Center in Milwaukee for the first day of the GOP primary race.
While Trump himself, as well as his newly nominated vice presidential running mate JD Vance, were inside, police officers confronted a man outside with a ski mask and a gun, Milwaukee police said.
A 21-year-old man is in custody and awaiting charges after Milwaukee police say he was stopped by Capitol Police officers on the street outside the Republican National Convention’s security perimeter, which stretches several blocks around the convention center.
According to a statement obtained by The Independent, the man, who was wearing a ski mask and carrying a large tactical rucksack, was believed to be behaving suspiciously on the city’s dim streets.
“Milwaukee Police in 2024 July 15, around 1:00 p.m. A 21-year-old man was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon in the 1200 block of N. 11th Street. United States Capitol Police initially observed a suspicious-looking suspect on the street wearing a ski mask and a large tactical backpack,” said Milwaukee Police Department spokesman Sergeant Efrain Cornejo.
“The United States Capitol Police conducted a stop on a subject and the suspect was found to be concealing a firearm in a backpack. The suspect does not have a valid gun permit in Wisconsin or any other state. The suspect has been arrested and charges are pending with the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office,” he added.
As reported by the US TV channel “Fox”, a search of the person revealed disturbing findings: in addition to a ski mask, the man had with him an automatic rifle “AK-47”, also known as “Kalashnikov”, as well as a mask in the style of the horror film “The Scream”. and a full clip of ammo.
Milwaukee police confirmed his arrest to local news channel CBS 48.
The Independent has reached out to Capitol Police and the Milwaukee Police Department to confirm the details of the arrest and the items found on the man during his arrest.
Milwaukee officials also told several media outlets Tuesday night that the man did not have a valid gun permit from Wisconsin or any other state.
The name of the suspect has not been released. Police have not said whether they believe the suspect was aiming to target Republican National Convention attendees.
The arrest comes days after a 20-year-old gunman got within 150 meters of Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, fired shots and wounded the former president in the ear. Secret Service snipers soon killed him.
Three days later, Trump appeared at the Republican National Convention wearing a bandage over his ear, where he received a standing ovation from his fellow Republicans.
The police shot the man
In another incident, Milwaukee police officers shot and killed a man about a mile from the Republican convention on Tuesday, officials and witnesses to the shooting said.
Security at the convention has been heightened since Trump was attacked at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
The officers involved in Tuesday’s shooting were from Columbus, Ohio, the police union said in a statement, adding that no officers were injured. Body camera footage released Tuesday night shows a man, identified by a family member as Samuel Sharp Jr., waving a knife at another man before officers shot him.
Neighbors said the slain man was a regular at a homeless camp in the neighborhood. It did not appear that the man was in any way connected to the convention or planned to go any closer.
After the shooting, activists and local residents expressed outrage over Sharp’s killing and the apparent presence of out-of-state officers patrolling the Milwaukee area.
“Milwaukee has blood on its hands,” Milwaukee State’s Ryan Clancy said. – It was not near the Republican Party convention. The police shouldn’t be here.”
About 4,000 people came to the convention in Wisconsin. officials from other states and cities. Columbus has provided a “police dialogue team” to work with the demonstrations.
Milwaukee’s Fire and Police Commission has suspended a city policy requiring the release of body camera footage of a person shot by police within 15 days during the Republican convention.
Alan Chavoya, chairman of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression, a group that advocates against ending the body camera policy, condemned Ohio officials for “coming here and treating our people like this.”
“I was shocked,” Sonia, a resident of the apartment complex next to the shooting site, told The Guardian. “The police told people before (the convention) that we would not be dealing with law enforcement from other cities, but this is what we have.”
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, citing law enforcement sources, said the shooting occurred near North 14th Street and West Vliet Street, about a mile from the security perimeter of the Republican convention.
Linda Sharp, who identified herself as the slain man’s cousin, said she wants answers. “He had a dog and loved people and animals,” she said.
2024-07-18 13:42:28