MILWAUKEE — A 31-year-old homicide suspect died after a police pursuit ended in a crash and a shootout with Milwaukee police officers on the South 35th Street viaduct Monday.
RELATED | Traffic cameras show police chase, crash before officer-involved shooting in Milwaukee
Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said officers spotted a vehicle tied to an earlier homicide at approximately 4:47 p.m. and attempted a traffic stop. The suspect fled, initiating a pursuit that ended when the suspect crashed into another vehicle on South 35th Street near West National Avenue.
"The suspect exited his vehicle and fired shots... At which time, several officers returned fire, subsequently striking the suspect," Norman said.
The 31-year-old man was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries. Police recovered multiple firearms at the scene.
On Tuesday, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office identified the man who was killed as Nicholas Maslowski.
A 34-year-old person inside the vehicle struck by the suspect was taken to a hospital for treatment of non-fatal injuries. No officers or other bystanders were struck by gunfire.
Watch: Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman provides update following officer-involved shooting
The incident followed a string of events that began with a homicide at 7th and Mitchell.
"The individual was identified by being in the same vehicle involved in that," Norman said. "At the same time, there was a second shots-fired incident that took place in that same vehicle that they were searching for from the homicide earlier this morning. So that's the connection between the two."
The second shots-fired incident occurred near the 1700 block of North 35th Street.
Norman confirmed that investigators found evidence connected to the incident under the bridge where the crash occurred.
"This is a fluid and ongoing investigation," Norman said.
Watch: Milwaukee police shoot and kill homicide suspect after vehicle pursuit and crash on South 35th Street
The officers who discharged their weapons were placed on administrative duty, which is standard procedure. The Wauwatosa Police Department is leading the investigation as part of the Milwaukee Area Investigating Team.
The incident occurred hours after MPD released new crime statistics for the city, stating homicides are down. This prompted a statement from the Milwaukee Police Association:
"Tonight tells the story the numbers don’t.
Today, city leaders pointed to first-quarter data and said 'crime is down,' including a reported decline in homicides.
But tonight in Milwaukee, police were again forced to confront a fleeing homicide suspect. That encounter ended in an officer-involved shooting.
That is the reality our officers are facing.
Statistics can measure trends over time, but they do not capture what happens in real time on our streets - the danger, the volatility, and the split-second decisions officers are required to make when confronting violent offenders.
They also don’t always reflect how people feel in their neighborhoods.
When suspects are fleeing from homicide investigations, when officers are engaged in high-risk encounters like the one tonight, it reinforces what many in this community already know - serious violence remains a persistent and immediate threat."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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