No charges against Wauwatosa police officer who shot, killed 17-year-old at mall

FRANKLIN, Wis. — A Black Wisconsin police officer who fatally shot a Black teenager outside a suburban Milwaukee mall in February will not be charged in his death.

Prosecutors said Wednesday that Wauwatosa Officer Joseph Mensah was justified in shooting 17-year-old Alvin Cole outside of Mayfair Mall after a disturbance was reported inside the building on Feb. 2.

Officials said Cole ran from police and fired at officers before Mensah shot back. Police reports said Cole was found with 35 additional rounds of ammunition, though his family disputes that he fired the gun and has called for Mensah to be fired.

Over the span of five years, Mensah has shot and killed three people in the line of duty. Milwaukee County’s top prosecutor ruled that the previous two shootings were justified self-defense.

In response to the decision, Cole’s family and several protesters had gathered outside the Public Safety Building to speak out against Mensah.

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