We understand that Milwaukee Police have released the body camera video in the shooting homicide of Milwaukee Police Officer Peter Jerving.
The horrific video shows Jerving’s heroism as he was shot while trying to help his partner, who was struggling with killer Terrell Thompson when Thompson fled police and then produced a gun.
We are not including the body cam video in this post due to its heartbreaking and graphic nature, but we are linking out to it. Be forewarned that it’s extremely graphic and disturbing. We do believe that the public needs to understand the extreme dangers that officers face on the job, the heroic manner in which they meet them, and we believe the body cam video is necessary to make the actions of Terrell Thompson’s clear to the public.
We would encourage you to watch a tribute video about Officer Peter Jerving’s life. Officer Jerving was a beloved member of the Milwaukee Police Department, who was remembered for his devotion to policing, his contagious smile, and his love of friends and family:
Peter Jerving, 37, with four years on the force, was fatally shot on the city’s south side during a foot chase involving a robbery suspect, Thompson.
Officer Jerving’s killing occurred just an hour after the anniversary of the killing of Milwaukee Police Officer Matthew Rittner, who died on February 6, 2019.
The suspect, Terrell Thompson, was just in court the day before on a hit-and-run conviction but was given only probation by a Milwaukee County Judge despite numerous failures to show up for court.
“Milwaukee our hearts are heavy,” Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said in a press conference at the time. “Milwaukee police Department hearts are heavy. My heart is heavy. One of our finest who put on that uniform put on that badge, went into work last night and paid the ultimate sacrifice for protecting our community,” Norman said.