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Friends And Family of Dontre Hamilton Call For Answers

Marti Mikkelson

Several dozen people rallied late Monday in downtown Milwaukee. They demanded justice in the shooting death of Dontre Hamilton.

The protest was held at Red Arrow Park, the place where a Milwaukee police officer show Hamilton more than a dozen times in April.

One person attending the rally was Curtis Sails, a friend of the Hamilton family.  He says he finds many aspects of the case alarming.

"The police officer's name has not been revealed yet.  In shooting him 14 times, that should be considered excessive force and that officer is still on the clock, he's still getting paid and still working at the station right down the street," Sails says.

Police say Hamilton grabbed the officer's baton and began beating him with it.  Hamilton's family says he was mentally ill.

A state panel has been investigating whether the officer acted appropriately but has not yet announced its verdict.

Marti was a reporter with WUWM from 1999 to 2021.
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