Elijah Wilks, an off-duty Milwaukee police officer, was shot by a fellow officer after confronting him on West Mill Road in Milwaukee. The incident, captured on dashcam footage released ahead of the standard 15-day period with the family’s consent, shows Wilks striking the officer in the face with a pistol and later aiming it at him. The video also reveals Wilks exiting his vehicle, shouting expletives, and retrieving the weapon before the officer opened fire. Wilks was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Wilks family has supported the officer’s actions, calling the shooting “justified.” B’Ivory LaMarr, the family’s attorney, stated the footage clarifies the events, emphasizing transparency to counter misinformation. He noted the family seeks to ensure the public sees the truth rather than rumors.
Wilks was en route to his uncle’s funeral at the time of the incident. The footage was shared after low-quality surveillance videos caused confusion about the sequence of events. Wilks’s aunts, Latrice Bell and Andrea Ward, expressed sorrow over the tragedy, acknowledging the potential for similar situations to arise from split-second decisions.
