Milwaukee police officer shot during standoff, man guilty at trial

article

Harrel Martin

MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee County jury convicted a man of seven counts of attempted homicide, among other crimes, tied to the shooting of a police officer and a standoff that unfolded in 2024.

Guilty verdict

In Court:

Prosecutors charged 26-year-old Harrel Martin with seven counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide, strangulation and suffocation, first-degree recklessly endangering safety and two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

Court records show a jury convicted Martin on all but the strangulation and suffocation charge on Nov. 10. He is scheduled to be sentenced in January.

Police scene near Green Bay and Fairmount

Standoff and shooting | Jan. 2, 2024

The backstory:

It happened near 18th and Fairmount, just west of Green Bay Avenue. MPD Chief Jeffrey Norman said officers were initially called around 9 a.m.for a domestic violence incident.

A criminal complaint said the victim reported Martin was "trying to kill her in front of her kids by choking her" that morning. She said Martin choked her and hit or pushed her several times because she went through his text messages.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

When officers arrived at the home and tried to establish communication with the man – now identified as Martin – police said he shot at officers, and officers returned fire.

Some officers relocated to the back of the home, Norman said, where there was a second exchange of gunfire – and an officer was shot. That officer was identified as 38-year-old Dan Morrell who had been with the Milwaukee Police Department for more than 16 years. 

Dan Morrell

Morrell was treated at a Milwaukee hospital for a broken femur and a nicked artery. He was released from the hospital days after the shooting and continued his recovery at home.

Norman said no one was struck by any officers' gunfire. Martin, who police said has a criminal history, refused to surrender at that time; a tactical response team and crisis negotiators were called in. Martin surrendered hours later without further incident, according to police. There were four kids in the home at the time.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

Three of the four kids who were inside during the standoff, per the complaint, were the children of Martin and the victim. The victim also said she was eight months pregnant with Martin's child. 

Once in custody, the complaint said Martin told police he "just snapped" when he opened fire on officers approaching the home. Prosecutors said, as a convicted felon, Martin was not legally allowed to have a gun in the first place.