More Crime and Violence in Bay View

"Nothing like that ever happens in this area."

Sadly, I think Bay View residents and business owners and patrons may need to reevaluate the area.

MILWAUKEE -- A 54-year-old man is dead after being shot in the chest by a Milwaukee police officer in the Bay view neighborhood during an alleged robbery attempt Monday.

Milwaukee police say they responded to a call for an attempted armed robbery and shots fired in the 2300 block of S. Howell Ave. The victim reported that a suspect attempted to rob him, and then when the victim fled, the suspect fired a weapon at him. The victim was not injured.

An eyewitness said he saw the man with a gun walking down the street when he was approached by police. police yelled for the man to drop his weapon several times, but he didn't comply, the witness said.

"A Milwaukee Police Officer, in uniform and in a marked squad, approached the suspect," said police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz in a statement Tuesday. "The suspect had his hands concealed under a coat, and refused to respond to the officer’s repeated commands to show his hands. The suspect then pulled out a gun and refused to drop it, at which time the officer discharged his weapon, striking the suspect.

"The next thing you know there was one shot and the guy was on the ground," Vern Snyder, witness, stated.

That sounds like it could be a case of Suicide by Cop.

*UPDATE below

..."I heard cops yelling four times 'don't do it, don't do it' then I heard a gunshot," Robert Czerwinski, witness, said.

A several-block area was roped off after the 10:30 a.m. police shooting in the 2100 block of S. Kinnickinnic Ave.

The officer who shot the suspect is a 41-year-old man with 16 years on the Milwaukee police force.

The officer had no choice. The suspect did.

It's the officer's duty to protect the public. This armed and dangerous man had to be stopped.

The neighborhood where the shooting took place is very busy, with many shops, eateries and a popular park.

"I was just surprised because nothing like that ever happens in this area," Czerwinski added.

It's true that there was a time when nothing like that ever happened in that area of the city.

Those days appear to be gone.

Crisis? What crisis?
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UPDATE:

It appears that this may have been a case of "suicide by cop."

Suicide wish suspected

The man whom Milwaukee police shot fatally on Tuesday was a Vietnam veteran and local musician who had recently had problems and spoke of having little to live for, his sister said Wednesday.

She identified her brother as Steve Bucholtz of Milwaukee.

"My heart goes out to the officer involved. I'm praying for him and his family. I hope that he doesn't hold any personal guilt from this traumatic event," said the sister, Tonya O'Brien.

...O'Brien said her brother was never in trouble with the law before, but he had problems recently and "felt like he had nothing more to live for and this might be an OK way to go." She speculated that the robbery attempt and shots were meant to attract police.

Police said they were investigating whether the man might have intended suicide.

"The scene investigation would lead us to believe that he may have had some issues along that line," Lt. Thomas Stigler said.

Bucholtz's sister said he had a master's degree in business, had served in Vietnam and was a talented musician who played the guitar and wrote songs. According to various Web sites, he had performed with the Last Canyon Band and the Twang Dragons.

"He wasn't a robber," O'Brien said.