Joseph Mensah’s police officer girlfriend has shared photos of injuries that she says she received when a group of Black Lives Matter activists showed up at the home she was sharing with the Wauwatosa police officer. Mensah and his girlfriend say they were assaulted and shot at by the group. Videos shared by local news sites show a chaotic crowd of people on the grass throwing toilet paper at the residence.
You can see those pictures, which she made public, later in this article.
Update: The suspects are now named and charged. Learn more about them and read the criminal complaints here.
Wauwatosa Police Chief Barry Weber revealed on the Mark Belling show that police know the identity of the person who fired the shot during the Officer Joseph Mensah incident. He didn’t release it yet, though.
On August 9, Mensah wrote on Facebook that protesters had come to his girlfriend’s house while he was there the night before and “tried to kill me.” He further wrote:
I was unarmed and tried to defend my property and the property of my girlfriend. We were both assaulted, punched, and ultimately shot at several times. A shotgun round missed me by inches. Not once did I ever swing back or reciprocate any the hate that was being directed at me. I am all for peaceful protests, even against me, but this was anything but peaceful. They threw toilet paper in her trees, broke her windows, and again, shot at both of us as they were trying to kill me. There are children that live there any the knew that. The irony in all of this is that they chanted Black Lives Matter the entire time, but had zero regard for any of the black children that live there or me, a black man.
His girlfriend has now shared photos of those injuries, and Weber said that there was “certainly an attempt to harm him (Mensah)” and adamantly disputed the accusation by a state Representative, David Bowen, that Mensah, the suspended Wauwatosa police officer involved in three fatal shootings since 2015, fired the protester’s gun himself.
Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm ruled the first two on-duty shootings justified self defense by Mensah. The third, of Alvin Cole, 17, outside Mayfair Mall, is still under investigation. However, since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, protests have escalated against Mensah in Wauwatosa, most recently culminating at his girlfriend’s house. See videos from the scene here.
Mensah’s Girlfriend Shared Photos of Multiple Injuries
You can see the photos that Mensah’s girlfriend released above. Mensah’s girlfriend gave her account on Facebook, writing,
Joseph and I were shot at today. Shot by cowards who were inches away from us, but missed. They shot into MY home. One gun was a shotgun. They physically attacked Joseph and I. They broke the windows to MY house. They shot into my house causing damage to the brick. You proved nothing today. Now, I have to come up with the funds to replace your damages that proved nothing.
You completely forgot what this movement is about. There is a high volume of children on that block that you could have harmed.
I WILL still be returning to work to protect the community that I love though.
Mensah’s girlfriend, Patti Swayka, wrote in a public post, “We BOTH remember why we placed our right hand to the trust of God. ‘Trust that God will lead you out of the fire, but you must allow him to guide you.’ I still believe I have the most rewarding job and I can make a difference.”
Read more about Chief Weber’s comments on the Mensah incident here. The police investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Disclosure: Jessica McBride, a contributor at Wisconsin Right Now, is the niece of Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride. Jim Piwowarczyk, the owner of Wisconsin Right Now, is the author of this story.
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