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MPD body-cam video released in officer-involved shooting

Posted at 5:16 PM, Jun 21, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-21 18:16:35-04

MILWAUKEE — On Friday, Milwaukee police released officer body-camera video showing the moments after an officer-involved shooting last month.

Officers shot and killed Cesar Sarmiento-Molina, 34, on May 7th around 9:30 a.m. near 7th and Maple on the city's south side.

MPD said, in sharing videos and photos, within 45 days of the shooting, they're keeping a promise to the public to be more transparent.

A Milwaukee police officer's body camera was turned on moments after officers shot Molina. Investigators said Molina had a bandanna covering his face, and pulled out a gun.

Security video from a home nearby goes along with what police say happened.

Investigators said Molina and another man approached a car that three undercover officers were in. The car had dark tinted windows, so they couldn't have seen who was inside of it. According to MPD, when Molina got
close to the driver's side door, he pulled out a fully-loaded 40-caliber glock pistol, and aimed it at the car.

Police believe it may have been an attempted robbery.

The home surveillance video shows Molina fall to the ground, and the other man take off running. Molina was rushed to the hospital but did not survive. The other man was caught and taken into custody.

Milwaukee police said the reason a body camera was not turned on during the shooting, is because the officers were in the car doing undercover surveillance work, as part of a search for a homicide suspect. Just 40 minutes earlier a tip came in that the homicide suspect might be in that area.

Surveillance is considered a "non-enforcement" activity, which the department does not require a body camera to be on for.

Milwaukee police did not release the video in it's entirety. Only the parts they thought were relevant.

The shooting is still under investigation by the Waukesha Police Department.