Five police officers gunned down a homeless man outside of the Republican National Convention.
The shocking shooting took place nearly a mile from the RNC’s security perimeter. Heightened police presence was in the area as tensions continue to run high following Donald Trump’s alleged assassination attempt during Saturday’s rally in Pennsylvania. It appears that the authorities fired their weapons during a fight of some kind, but the details remain murky.
Several witnesses told local news outlets that the man who was killed by police was a well-known homeless individual who goes by Jehovah. He reportedly lived in a nearby tent campsite. For reasons unknown, a fight broke out between two men in the middle of a street. Nearly 15 officers on bikes were also in the street a little after 1:00 p.m. People nearby asked the men to stop fighting, though it doesn’t appear the brawl was broken up. During the chaos, witnesses claim Jehovah drew a knife before gunshots rang out, resulting in the man being struck by five law enforcement officials. USA Today reports that the officers who fired their weapons were from Columbus, Ohio, and were in Milwaukee to help patrol the RNC.
The officers involved in the shooting were sent back to Ohio. It is unknown if they used any de-escalation measures before shooting their guns.
