REVERSE COURSE

Judge Finds Probable Cause to Charge Wauwatosa Cop in Fatal 2016 Shooting

The district attorney originally said the shooting of Jay Anderson Jr. was justified as self-defense.

Five years after the fatal shooting of Jay Anderson Jr., Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Glenn Yamahiro has ruled there is probable cause to charge former Wauwatosa police officer Joseph Mensah. At the time of the shooting, the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office ruled it justified self-defense. However, Yamahiro said, based on the totality of circumstances, it’s likely Mensah “operated a weapon, in a matter constituting criminal negligence.” Anderson’s family celebrated the decision but said they still had “a ways to go.” During his 5 years with the Wauwatosa P.D., Mensah shot and killed three people in the line of duty, most recently 17-year-old Alvin Cole in 2020. Mensah is now a deputy at the Wauwatosa County Sheriff’s Department.