Wauwatosa approves $95K settlement with former officer Joseph Mensah
Wauwatosa approves $95K settlement with former officer Joseph Mensah
The officer who shot and killed three people in Wauwatosa over five years will get one more payout from the city. This time for PTSD he says he developed on the job. FOX6's Sam Kraemer's live at Wauwatosa City Hall to catch us up on how we got here and the other claim this officer is pursuing.
WAUWATOSA, Wis. - Nearly six years after he left the department, a controversial former Wauwatosa police officer will receive one more payout from the city — this time through a worker's compensation claim.
Settlement approved
What To Know:
Tuesday, the city's common council approved a proposed $95,000 settlement claim filed by Joseph Mensah, the officer who shot-and-killed three different people over five years while working in the city.
The city said Mensah, who filed the claim a few years back, listed PTSD as the reason for seeking the claim.
Wauwatosa Common Council
Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride, a former lawyer, told FOX6 the claim will be paid through the city's worker's compensation fund — a bucket of the budget set aside for this very reason.
"I described it to clients as a contract that nobody likes, but both sides can live with, you know? It's always between zero and whatever the plaintiff, or the claimant, is looking for. And this was decided as a reasonable settlement to put the matter behind us," McBride said.
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Previous fatal shootings
The backstory:
In 2015, Mensah shot and killed 29-year-old Antonio Gonzales after police said Gonzales was drunk and carrying a sword, which he refused to drop despite officer's commands.
A little more than a year later, Mensah shot and killed 25-year-old Jay Anderson Jr. in a city park. Mensah told officers he saw Anderson, who had been sleeping in his car, reach for a gun in the passenger seat.
Then, in February 2020, police responded to Mayfair Mall after a reported domestic disturbance, in which someone saw a teen carrying a gun in his bag. Eventually, security guards and police chased after the teen, who was later identified as 17-year-old Alvin Cole. Mensah told police he saw Cole point his gun at him and opened fire, killing him.
The three people fatally shot by Officer Joseph Mensah
The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office declined to charge Mensah in every case.
What they're saying:
Kimberley Motley has represented the Anderson and Cole families. She told FOX6 Tuesday she wasn't surprised Mensah sought this compensation.
"Based on our experience and just life and being a human being, certainly being involved in three shootings within a five-year time period as the only Wauwatosa officer to do that, certainly, I think everyone can agree, it would be unsurprising if that person did not have any type of mental health issues," Motley said.
The families of all three sought compensation through federal use of force lawsuits. In May, the parties reached a settlement in the Cole case. After a judge dismissed the Anderson case, Motley said she's still waiting on a decision to their appeal.
She said it's sad the families have had to pursue justice through the legal system while the city pays Mensah.
McBride distanced what happened from this claim in an interview after Tuesday's meeting.
"Whatever happened in 2020 or earlier, that's actually a different matter. So, although I understand the feelings of the Cole family, it's really an unrelated matter at this point," McBride said.
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New employment
The backstory:
When Mensah left the department in November 2020, the city agreed to pay him up to $125,000 in lieu of employment as part of the separation agreement.
But a short time later, Mensah began working with the Waukesha County Sheriff's Office, where he worked until he resigned in July 2025. His resignation letter said he intended to leave the business.
Joseph Mensah resigning from Waukesha County Sheriff's Department
Joseph Mensah, the Waukesha County sheriff's detective and former Wauwatosa police officer, is leaving the "law enforcement profession."
It's unclear if Mensah has attorneys representing him on the worker's compensation claim or the duty disability claim he's filed with the state.
State law enables first responders working for the state or municipal agencies to pursue the claim if they meet certain criteria. The employee must have been working the job when the disability happened, and the disability has to be work-related and permanent. The applicant also has to prove they missed out on future promotions, jobs, or was forced to light duty or retire because of it.
Applicants must seek a pair of medical opinions before submitting the duty disability claim. City staff told FOX6 that the process is still ongoing.
Duty disability applications are first sent to the state's Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF). If the department approves a claim, it pays the wage replacement benefit right away. If it's denied, it then goes to a state Department of Workforce Development division to assign a hearing.
The Source: Information in this post comes from the Wauwatosa Common Council and extensive prior reporting.