A Milwaukee police officer underwent surgery Wednesday after he was struck by gunfire from a man walking the streets with a semi-automatic rifle.
The shooting involving the 34-year-old officer happened just before noon when police responded to reports of a gunman firing shots along several street blocks, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. When three officers arrived at the scene, the suspect opened fire, and one of the officers was shot.
Another officer returned fire, and the gunman was fatally struck.
"There were multiple individuals out on the streets, cars on the streets, that could have been harmed by this particular individual," Milwaukee Chief Jeffrey Norman said Wednesday hours after the shooting. "This is unacceptable."
The wounded was rushed to the hospital, and he underwent surgery. He was listed in stable condition, according to police.
“I’m grateful—and I know that the people in Milwaukee are grateful as well—that there are so many brave men and women who are part of this force who put their own selves in the line of danger in order to make sure we have safety in this community,” said Mayor Cavalier Johnson.
The incident is under investigation by the Oak Creek Police Department. The suspect's father told the Journal Sentinel that his son suffered from mental illness, and he apologized for his son's actions.
"We want to send our sincere prayers to the police officer and his family," he said. "We hope he recovers from this. I want to apologize to the community, to anyone who felt threatened. He was not a monster."
