MILWAUKEE — Family is speaking out for the first time after a man was killed by Milwaukee police Saturday night. They identify him as 49-year-old Anthony Taylor. Police have yet to officially release his name, but they say he was armed.
Taylor's sister, Candice Frazier, and his brother-in-law, Harold Johnson, are both at a loss over his death.
"He was my protector. He was loving," Frazier said.
"It's a lot to bear. It's a lot to understand and to sort out," Johnson said.
Police said officers were called to Lounge 340 at Vel R. Phillips and West Reservoir, just north of downtown after 11 p.m., for a man with a gun who fired shots.
According to police, the man was armed when they encountered him, and officers shot and killed him.
Frazier said her brother was one of the owners of Lounge 340, and that they were celebrating the business’s one-year anniversary.
"He wanted to succeed as being a business owner, so you know this day was big for him," Frazier said.
She said Taylor and his wife had been together for years.
"He was happy. You know they took family vacations together. They did all these amazing things together," Frazier said.
Recently, though both Frazier and Johnson said the couple were having marital problems.
"These last couple of months it's really been weighing on him."
His in-laws said on Saturday, things escalated to the point of Taylor attacking his wife, who was also at the party. She is an owner of the bar as well. Johnson suspects alcohol played a factor.
"We are grateful for our Milwaukee Police Department because if they didn't show up at the exact time that they did, it would have been a different thing," Johnson said.
Both families said this wasn't Taylor’s character.
"We never saw this coming," Johnson said.
"Never heard of any abuse, domestic either way. Her abusing him, him abusing her," Frazier said. "I hope that this is not going to divide us because we still have to bury him."
Now Frazier is seeking answers about what exactly happened.
"We kind of think we deserve to know," Frazier said.
Lounge 340 will remain closed the rest of the week.
Police are still investigating what led up to the shooting. Per protocol, the officers involved are on administrative leave and the Waukesha Police Department is leading the investigation.
