It's a police shooting that sparked outraged here in Milwaukee and around the country. Now U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore is making a claim about the Dontre Hamilton shooting as part of a push for more law enforcement training.
PolitiFact Wisconsin puts it to the Truth-o-Meter.
Hamilton was shot and killed by Officer Christopher Manney in April of 2014. Manney was never criminally charged but he was fired - not for the fatal shooting but for his decision to approach Hamilton.
Moore recently brought up the Red Arrow Park shooting on the House floor
"She says that Hamilton was shot 14 times by police for resting in a park," said Tom Kertscher with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Moore referenced the case while proposing a bill that would require police officers to get training for what she called "de-escalation techniques" to reduce the need for use of force.
"Clearly police didn't come upon a man sleeping in the park and shoot him," said Kertscher, "but Moore's point is more of a rhetorical one, that Hamilton had done nothing but rest in a park in order to get contact from police.
In fact, PolitiFact Wisconsin says two other officers responded not once but twice that same day for a welfare check on Hamilton - who was sleeping in the park. Officer Manney showed up later and that's when events turned tragic.
"The shooting occurred only after a third officer decided to confront Hamilton and a fight ensued and that's when the shooting occurred," said Kertscher.
PolitiFact Wisconsin reports that witnesses told police that Manney, who was yelling commands at Hamilton, struck Hamilton one or more times with his baton before Hamilton took the baton and struck Manney with it one or more times.
Manney fired 14 times, resulting in 15 gunshot wounds to Hamilton.
PolitiFact Wisconsin rated Moore's claim Mostly True.
