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Officers shot: New info from public records
A witness says the man accused of killing Milwaukee Police Officer Kendall Corder did not know he was shooting at the police.
MILWAUKEE - A witness said the man accused of killing Milwaukee Police Officer Kendall Corder did not know he was shooting at the police.
Public records
What we know:
Officers Kendall Corder and Christopher McCray were shot near 25th and Garfield in Milwaukee on June 26 as they searched for a shooting suspect.
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Now, court filings reveal the man accused of shooting the officers, Tremaine Jones, said he initially did not know the people he shot were police officers.
Jones, Bryshawn Tyler and Jermela Kittler are all charged in connection with the case. Prosecutors said Kittler was involved in the fights that ultimately brought Jones, and later police, to 25th and Garfield that night.
Officer Kendall Corder, Tremaine Jones
Video of Jones
The backstory:
FOX6 News obtained video appearing to show Jones with a large firearm and yelling on June 26. Prosecutors said Tyler and Jones later got into a shootout.
Newly-filed search warrants said investigators got Jones' and Tyler's DNA to compare them to guns found at the crime scene.
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In an affidavit, a witness to the fights and shootings said that after the shootout, Jones went and hid in nearby bushes. The witness said they saw Corder and McCray approaching the area Jones was hiding – they had flashlights. That is when gunshots erupted from the bushes.
Witness information
What they're saying:
After the shooting, the witness said Jones said he "did not know they were cops" and "thought it was someone else." Jones then said he had "better get out of there" because he had "just killed a cop," the court filings said.
Tremaine Jones makes initial appearance in Milwaukee County court
Alexander Ayala, president of the Milwaukee Police Association, said he's not buying it.
"Of course that is going to be his excuse that he didn’t know. I think police officers make it known – approach considerations, you have your squad, you have your uniform, the radio," he said Thursday. "You have a multitude of things to know they are police officers so I don’t buy that."
Police found 16 rifle casings and the semi-automatic, rifle-style pistol with Jones' fingerprints. There was also a backpack with Jones' personal documents.
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After the shooting, prosecutors said Kittler took Jones back to her house near 37th and Villard where the two were later arrested.
What's next:
Preliminary hearings for all three defendants – Jones, Kittler and Tyler – were scheduled for Wednesday morning, July 8. They were all pushed back.
Editor's note: This story was updated on July 10 to add a comment from MPA President Alexander Ayala. It was not available at the time the video above aired on FOX6 News.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, the criminal complaint associated with this case and previous FOX6 News coverage.