The Milwaukee Police Department says the car that officers pursued Wednesday night before a fiery crash matched the vehicle description in a previous shooting.
Shortly after 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, officers saw a car driving recklessly and wanted for a felony. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle near North 9th Street and Hampton Avenue, but the driver refused, and a pursuit ensued, according to MPD. It ended when the car crashed into a tree. The car became engulfed in flames.
The 17-year-old driver and sole occupant of the car died at the scene. The driver was identified as Raki Henderson by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office on Monday, Aug. 11.
Two officers were injured after trying to rescue the driver. In a post to its Facebook page, the Milwaukee Police Association stated that one officer made repeated attempts to rescue the young man after the crash.
One officer, who suffered second-degree and third-degree burns, remains hospitalized. Another officer was treated for smoke inhalation.
Antonio Hullum told TMJ4 that he had just left a gas station in the area when he saw the chase and crash.
Watch: Witness and neighbor recall police chase that ended in a fiery crash killing 17-year-old driver
"Police had their guns drawn on them. I was like, 'Get out the car.' They had the opportunity to pull him out of the car, because only the front end was on fire," Hullum stated.
Hullum says he met the teen's mother on the scene and shared his account with her.
"Because I felt her pain. I shed a couple of tears," Hullum said.
The next day, flowers were left at the crash site.
"It was a traumatizing event. I can't make it up," Deovion Whiteside said. "It hurt my heart to see stuff like this happening."
Whiteside told TMJ4 that his 3-month-old child and her mother were inside their upper unit right by the crash scene.
"She got to crying and saying, 'I tried to open a window and the flames hit my face like I could feel the heat,'" Whiteside recalled.
Whiteside said thankfully, his child and the mother of his child got out safely through the roof and with the help of a bystander.
Both Whiteside and Hullum believe that this case did not have to end with the death of the teenage driver.
See the MPA's full statement below:
"The Milwaukee Police Association is saddened by the tragic events that occurred following last night’s pursuit involving a 17-year-old wanted in connection with a felony shots fired incident, who fled from officers when they attempted to stop him in his car.
Despite the danger, one of our officers risked his own life in repeated attempts to rescue the young man from the vehicle after it crashed and erupted in flames. Tragically, the teen did not survive. Our officer suffered serious second- and third-degree burns and continues to recover from his injuries in the hospital. The other officer was treated for smoke inhalation.
This heartbreaking incident is a painful reminder not only of the consequences that can follow when people choose to flee from police, but what results from the lawlessness our officers are working every day to prevent.
We are incredibly fortunate to have such selfless and caring police officers serving our city under extremely challenging conditions, while the Mayor is not upholding his responsibility to maintain safety for our citizens and our police officers. We once again call on Mayor Johnson to recognize these daily heroics by paying our police officers a fair wage."
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
