Policies to Change after 2013 Shooting Incident at Milwaukee Hospital

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Back in November 2013, Milwaukee Police Department (“MPD”) officers shot Ashanti Hendricks at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. Mr. Hendricks was at the hospital to visit his infant son. An anonymous caller called police to report that Mr. Hendricks was possibly armed and could hurt the mother and the infant. When the MPD officers confronted Mr. Hendricks at the hospital, he proceeded to flee, after he had been sitting and holding his son and then laid him onto the seat. An MPD police officer then shot Mr. Hendricks in the arm. The incident caused the hospital to be locked down for about two hours.

As a result of the incident, there will be new policies for law enforcement at Children’s Hospital. Prior to taking any action inside the hospital, Milwaukee police or other law enforcement officers must notify the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, which has jurisdiction over the hospital. In addition, the following new policies have been implemented: (1) a sheriff’s deputy will be stationed at the hospital’s emergency department; (2) hospital security will escort law enforcement officers while at the hospital; and (3) a unified command post will be set up for incidents such as last November’s shooting.

The Milwaukee civil right lawyers of Samster, Konkel & Safran represent the mother and the infant involved in the incident at Children’s Hospital. As a result of the incident, the infant suffered a fractured skull, experienced pain and suffering, and has a possibility of further disability. The mother suffered psychological injuries as a result of the incident, experiencing fear, anxiety and sleep disturbance. Having no policy in place to deal with a potentially armed but non-shooting suspect, and due to risking the safety of children and adults at the hospital, SKS Attorney Jonathan S. Safran filed a Notice of Injury with the City of Milwaukee for compensation for the mother’s and her infant’s injuries, because it was the actions of the MPD officers that caused the incident.

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