Family of Elijah Wilkes killed by Milwaukee police calls shooting 'justifiable'
Family of Elijah Wilkes killed by Milwaukee police calls shooting 'justifiable'
The family of a man who was shot dead by an off-duty police officer are now calling for the early release of footage of the incident to “quell misinformation” surrounding their son's death, days after they said the incident was justified.
The request was made by the man's mother, Pamela Bonslater, and attorney B'Ivory LaMarr on Oct. 12, after a video of the Oct. 9 shooting death of 26-year-old Elijah Wilks began circulating on social media over the weekend.
The grainy video, which appears to come from a camera across the street from the shooting scene near West Mill Road and North 47th Street, shows the off-duty officer and Wilkes approaching each other. They then quickly separated and police appeared to shoot Wilkes.
Due to the quality of the video, it's difficult to determine exactly what happened between the two men.
The video fueled public speculation about the shooting, which family members and police said occurred after a minor car crash and in which Wilkes struck the officer with a gun and pointed it at him.
The Milwaukee Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the family's request for early release of the footage.
“The vantage point and resolution of the official dashcam video answer all questions,” family attorney B'Ivory LaMarr said in an Oct. 13 press release. “The Wilkes family saw the truth firsthand. Now they want the public to see the truth, too. They chose truth over rumors—transparency over division.”
Wilkes' mother and Lamar reviewed the footage with police on Oct. 10 and held a news conference later that day. At that news conference, the family initially asked that the video footage not be released for 15 days, the maximum time allowed under department policy.
“This is not just one case,” Lamar said in the release. “This is about restoring public confidence in law enforcement and ensuring accountability is applied equally – whether by citizens or officers. Accountability and empathy can coexist. The Wilkes family is proving that.”
At a news conference detailing the shooting, Lamar said it was unclear whether an exchange of gunfire occurred or what was said between the two men. Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said the two men got into a shootout.
The West Allis Police Department is leading the investigation into the shooting.
David Clarey is a public safety reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at [email protected].