MILWAUKEE — It's been two days since shots were fired inside a Shake Shack restaurant in the Third Ward injuring an off-duty police officer who was intervening in an attempted robbery.
According to Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman, a suspect unsuccessfully attempted to steal a car with three children inside.
"The suspect left the vehicle and began to leave the scene in another vehicle," a news release from Milwaukee police says. "The adult female driver of the vehicle located and picked up a cell phone around her vehicle and entered a nearby business. While inside the business, the suspect who attempted to steal the vehicle, approached the female and attempted to rob her."
According to a GoFundMe page, the intended robbery victim was a woman who was working as a door dash driver.
The woman's name was not shared on the fundraiser, but she detailed the horrific acts she encountered. She said a man attempted to steal her car with her kids in it, then came inside the restaurant where she was picking up an order and attacked her.
That's when an off-duty officer stepped in to stop the attack.. That officer was shot and is now in stable condition
We contacted DoorDash regarding this incident and a spokesperson sent the following statement:
“The safety of our community is top priority. We are incredibly relieved that the Dasher and her family are safe, and applaud the officer involved for his courage and wish him a full and speedy recovery. We are in touch with the Dasher to provide our support and are in contact with local law enforcement to assist their investigation in any way we can.”
Jake Shultz has been a door dash driver on and off for the past year and said everyday is different, but fear always lingers.
"Anytime really late at night in an unfamiliar place that kind of gets sketchy," Shultz said.
What's even more frightening Shultz said he was working delivering food that Thursday afternoon.
"It was scary to think that could have been me in some sense," he said.
Shultz said he sends his location to loved ones when he doesn't feel safe while out delivering food, but a spokesperson with the company said they have a safety feature on the app to help keep drivers safe.
SafeDash is an in-app tool kit powered by ADT security professionals to help dashers feel safe and give them greater peace of mind. The app was launched late last year.
Shultz said that it is hard to find if you don't know it exists.
"It's a little hidden, like its hidden in the app, Shultz said. "You can only find it when you're in the maps part of it."
Beyond the app tool, a DoorDash spokesperson said they send out safety tips and best practices in the weekly dasher digest which goes to all drivers across the platform.
