MILWAUKEE — The trial of Tremaine Jones began Monday with the start of jury selection in Milwaukee County Court. Jones is accused of ambushing Milwaukee Police Officer Kendall Corder and Officer Christopher McCray in an alley on June 26, 2025. Corder died from his injuries.
Tuesday's proceedings included seating the jury, opening statements, and witness testimony. During opening statements, the state argued the officers were ambushed after responding to a call for help.
"Officer Corder and Officer McCray were sent there because people called for help, and they're the police. The defendant was there with a short-barreled rifle because he was there for a fight between girls. And he demanded people come outside or he was gonna shoot. And Officer Corder died because of that," Assistant District Attorney Grant Huebner said.
The defense questioned if Jones should even be on trial, and asked very few questions during cross-examination.
"But the one thing that makes this tragedy worse is if we don't have the right person. And it's defense's position here is that the state doesn't have the right person," Defense Attorney Abigail Ruckdashel said.
WATCH: Trial underway for Tremaine Jones
The state called several members of the Milwaukee Police Department to the stand, including an officer who had only been with the department for five days when he responded to the shooting. The officer recalled taking out a tourniquet to provide aid to Corder.
"It was the first time I was dealt with a situation like that," the officer said.
The court heard 911 calls from neighbors and viewed body camera and dash camera footage from responding officers. Detectives also reviewed radio calls from McCray.
McCray's radio call brought family and officers in the gallery to tears.
"My partner is hit, my partner is hit, Corder. Shots fired shots fired my partner is down," McCray said.
Officer James Borneman and Officer Charles Worthington were some of the first to arrive in the area minutes after the officers were shot. They detailed the traumatic scene.
"It looked like they were severely injured. Officer McCray was yelling Corder Corder Corder," Borneman said.
"We encounter Officer Corder unresponsive, and Officer McCray was shielding him and we attempted life saving measures," Worthington said.
"He stated they were ambushed from the woodline," Worthington said.
Jones' defense asked only a few questions of the witnesses Tuesday, but made it clear they think there are gaps in the investigation.
The Corder family and members of the police department were in court Tuesday listening to the testimony and watching the video evidence. Prosecutors also plan to present evidence that led investigators to Jones.
Testimony will continue Wednesday.
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.
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.
