Milwaukee police shooting, family identifies suspect killed

Family identifies suspect killed by police

Milwaukee police officers were involved in the fatal shooting of an armed suspect on Tuesday. Now, the suspect's family has identified him to FOX6.

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee police officers were involved in the fatal shooting of an armed suspect on Tuesday. Now, the suspect's family has identified him to FOX6 News as 38-year-old Joshua Wippert.

Chase leads to shooting

The backstory:

The incident began with a traffic stop near Fond du Lac and Locust shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday. While the suspect initially stopped, he then drove off – leading officers on a pursuit. 

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Police said a passenger got out of the vehicle during the pursuit. Near 98th and Lisbon, just south of Capitol Drive, the driver stopped the car and started to run.

While officers ran after the driver, MPD said they saw he was armed with a gun and gave multiple commands for him to drop the weapon. MPD said the suspect refused, and two officers shot him.

Police presence on Lisbon Avenue south of Capitol Drive, Milwaukee

The suspect, now identified through family as Wippert, died at a hospital. The gun he was holding was recovered at the scene, according to police.

MPD identified the two officers who fired their weapons as a 46-year-old man with more than 10 years of service and a 40-year-old man with more than eight years of service. They have been placed on administrative duty.

Mother speaks to FOX6

What they're saying:

Wippert's mother told FOX6 News that she saw the foot chase and heard the final gunshots. She said she's still trying to process what happened and wishes things would have turned out differently.

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The mother did not want to speak on camera, but said Wippert was on parole for an armed robbery that happened in 2019. She also said he had a gun in the car when he fled police, which would violate his parole and possibly send him back to jail.

Wippert's mother also said her son called her as he was fleeing police and that the chase ended near her home. She said she saw Wippert with a gun, but she never saw him point it toward officers.

Ongoing investigation

What's next:

The Milwaukee Area Investigative Team will investigate the incident, with the Brookfield Police Department serving as the lead investigative agency.

MPD said it is still searching for a known passenger who fled earlier during the pursuit.