WEST ALLIS - Law enforcement is investigating the shooting incident that left a robbery suspect dead following a standoff with police over the weekend.
The Oak Creek Police Department, the law enforcement agency leading the deadly shooting investigation, confirmed it has identified the robbery suspect. However, the department is not releasing a name until after police have notified next of kin.
A neighbor near the scene witnessed the incident from her window.
“I saw some flashing lights over there," Dorothea Lannin said.
"I went by the window to see what was going on and I saw an officer with a rifle pointed back that way," she continued.
Lannin lives next door to the lot where police found an alleged armed robbery suspect hiding in a dumpster.
“I saw dogs, and I heard officers telling this guy if he was hurt he should make noise and they would come and help him,” she said.
According to Lannin the man in the dumpster never responded. She later found out he was shot and killed by police.
“I think they were trying not to hurt the guy," Lannin said.
"But sometimes you can’t help it," she continued.
According to West Allis police, it all started with an armed robbery at the George Webb on Greenfield Avenue around 1 a.m. Saturday. When officers arrived at the restaurant, the alleged thief took off in a white vehicle.
“I don’t know how much [the armed robber] got, but I’m thinking they probably didn’t have much in the register," Lannin said.
Police confirmed as the pursuit of the suspect continued, an officer eventually spotted the getaway vehicle and tried to perform a traffic stop near S. 62nd and W. Burnham Streets. According to police, the passenger exited the vehicle, fired a shot at the officer, and took off running. The officer was not injured, and the driver of the vehicle took off too. The chase of the suspect ended at 60th Street and Beloit Road.
Police surrounded the area and called for backup as they searched for the suspect. Officers from the West Allis and New Berlin Police Departments found the suspect during the search hiding in a dumpster.
After what police describe as an "encounter" with the suspect, officers from both the West Allis and New Berlin Police Departments fired shots. The suspect was declared dead at the scene.
“[I] hope they catch the other guy," Lannin said.
"[I] hope he doesn’t do this anywhere else," she continued.
According to police, the investigation is twofold, West Allis PD is investigating the robbery while the Oak Creek Police Department is handling the investigation of the deadly shooting involving the officers. Police are still searching the robbery vehicle and the driver of the car; so far no arrests have been made.
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