WAUKESHA, Wis. — The former Wauwatosa police officer who fatally shot three people in three separate incidents has decided to end his career in law enforcement.
RELATED COVERAGE: All charges filed against Wauwatosa Police Officer Mensah are dismissed, following PFC vote
Joseph Mensah resigned from the Wauwatosa Police Department in November of 2020, and was later hired as a detective with the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department.
On Thursday, Mensah submitted his letter or resignation to the sheriff's department, stating, "it would be in the best interest of the Sheriff's Department, the community, my family, and my own personal well-being, that I transition out of the law enforcement profession."
"Words can not (sic) express how grateful I am that you, Sheriff Severson, along with Inspector Gumm, Deputy Inspector, the command staff and the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department accepted me and brought me into your family when I needed you the most," Mensah wrote.
Mensah was never charged in any of the shooting deaths; however, the parents of Alvin Cole filed a civil rights lawsuit alleging that Mensah used excessive force.
Mensah shot Cole during a foot chase outside a mall in February 2020.
The 17-year-old was the third person Mensah shot and killed during a five-year stretch with the Wauwatosa Police Department. Mensah also killed Antonio Gonzales in 2015 after Gonzales refused to drop a sword, according to prosecutors. He killed Jay Anderson in 2016 after he found Anderson sleeping in a car in a park after hours. Prosecutors said Anderson reached for a gun on the passenger seat.
Watch: Former Wauwatosa officer involved in 3 fatal shootings resigns from Waukesha County Sheriff's Dept.
The lawsuit concluded in March with a hung jury and is set to be retried on Sept. 8.
According to Mensah's resignation letter, his final day with the sheriff's department will be July 31.
"The Waukesha County Sheriff's Office acknowledges the resignation of Detective Mensah," a spokesperson for the department said. "We support Detective Mensah and wish him the best."
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