The fifth day of the Inquest into the death of Derek Williams in Milwaukee Police Department (“MPD”) custody took place on Friday, February 15, 2013. As previously reported, Mr. Williams died in the back seat of an MPD squad car after he spent at least 15 minutes struggling to breathe and begging MPD officers for assistance. At the Inquest on Friday, Milwaukee Fire Department Lieutenant James Arps testified that, had paramedics been called sooner, there would have been more options available to save the life of Derek Williams. For example, the nearest hospital was only five minutes away. Read more about Day 5 of the Derek Williams Inquest in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel here.
The Inquest continues today, with additional testimony by citizen witnesses and MPD officers. It is anticipated that the Inquest will be wrapping up tomorrow or Wednesday, with the Inquest Jury to then begin deliberations, resulting in an advisory verdict for the Special Prosecutor’s consideration.
The civil rights lawyers of Samster, Konkel & Safran represent the three young children of Derek Williams and their mother. We will continue to post updates regarding the Inquest on this website.