In a January deposition for the libel lawsuit, Gonzalez told Bells lawyer the fifth officers full name. Updated daily. In a statement made in 2010, which the police department forwarded this December in response to NPR's request for comment, Police Chief John Morrissey from the Kenosha Police Department said, in part: "The investigation showed that the actions of the officers were reasonable, appropriate and well within Kenosha Police Department policy, procedure, and training. Kenosha County Circuit Judge Chad Kerkman dismissed the lawsuit Feb. 7, 2022; Bell has appealed the dismissal. While Boyles order noted that there had been contradictory descriptions of the incident, the judge minimized the significance of the absence of DNA. Bell obtained permission from the current owner for the excavation of the segment. In an earlier interview, in March 2021, Bell said that understanding exactly what happened and what did not happen when his son was killed is important to ensure that there is full accountability for the people involved. Michael M. Bell believes that scenario would undermine the official justification for the shooting: to prevent Strausbaughs gun from being turned on the officers. The Kenosha mayors only response was to send the Examiner a four-page table of investigations, reports and public statements, with summaries for each item that concluded there were no grounds for reopening the matter. The suit also named Kenoshas city-county Joint Services, which currently has custody of the bullet. She was born May 10, 1955, [], Melissa Banda, age 34, passed away on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 surrounded by her loving family. You can cancel at any time. Im planning on running those not only regionally but also on some high-profile events.. I think any time anybody provides additional material that it should be looked at, he said. In Wisconsins great progressive tradition, we aim to hold the powerful accountable to the people, follow the money, and dig out the truth. [], Dawn Morales, 41, of Kenosha passed away on April 15, 2023, in Kenosha. Here's what it means. The ad reiterated his June 1 deadline for the bullets release in return for his offer to waive the citys financial liability. Michael M. Bell of Kenosha, shown during an interview late last year, has found himself in the national spotlight over the last week, since Politico.com published an essay about the police. In the audio of this story, as in a previous Web version, we incorrectly say Bell was pulled over for suspicion of drunken driving and running a stop sign. Browse Kenosha News obituaries, conduct other obituary searches, offer condolences/tributes, send flowers or create an online memorial. The next month, he took out a national newspaper ad to put additional pressure on the governor and the attorney general. Over the course of a dozen years, Michael M. Bell has been campaigning for local and state officials to take a new look at the 2004 killing of his son by a Kenosha police officer. He was born on March 1st, 1970, in Illinois, to [], Diane Reed, (Kohler/Schiller) age 75 a resident of Pleasant Prairie died April 11th, 2023, at Aurora medical Center in Mt. John was born on March 28, 1969 in Des Plaines, IL, the son of [], Dennis C Eskola of Kenosha WI was born Sept 02, 1959 to Bruce and Nancy (Togersen) Eskola in Milwaukee, WI. Bell believes Haags examination of the bullet would uncover more evidence toward an accurate portrayal of how his sons death unfolded. Born on March 12, 1961, in Escanaba, [], Suzanne Sonja Simonovich, 67 years old of Pleasant Prairie, WI passed away Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at Aurora St. Lukes Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI. According to the suit, some of the circumstances surrounding his sons death have not been resolved, including the physical positions of the officers and Michael at the moment of the shooting.. She was born on September 26, 1943. She was born January 14, 1935, in Gaustadt/Bamberg, Germany, the [], Albert (Al) J. Arzt, age 85, passed away peacefully on April 23, 2023. Bell charges that is why the city, the police department and the Kenosha County district attorney have all rejected his calls to reexamine the incident. Continue to article content. Within 48 hours, Kenosha police ruled the shooting justified. The grievance alleges Graveley acted with dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation in his decision not to launch the investigation. Tony Evers, charging that Attorney General Josh Kaul and the DOJ had ignored his repeated requests for the agency to take a new look at his sons death. Evers lawyer subsequently told Bell that the, She helped create The Big Lie. A 30-year-old Kenosha woman is facing numerous criminal charges after allegedly burglarizing a home and neglecting her children. Nicholas Nick Ryan Torcaso, age 34, found peace on April 29, 2023, after a 3-year struggle with drug addiction. The actions of the officers involved in the incident were deemed justified after an internal investigation. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Bell Sr. has been working with retired Kenosha Police DetectiveRuss Beckmanto help investigate the shooting. Bell's father, Michael Bell Sr., hired his own investigators, who discovered considerable inconsistencies with the police account. A lawsuit from Michael M. Bell seeking to gain access to the bullet that killed his son outside his Kenosha home in 2004 has been dismissed. Bell told the Wisconsin Examiner that his intent with the offer had been to publicly forgo the option of suing the city if the release of the bullet produced evidence that could lead to the city being financially exposed.. Later in May, Bell took out national newspaper ads again, this time accusing the police department of having concealed the presence of the fifth officer as a witness, and asserting that the same officer also collected evidence at the scene despite having been a witness. Numerous armed officers were present when they pinned an unarmed Michael against a vehicle in his driveway and fatally shot him in the head. "So we hired an investigative consultant who teamed up with a retired Kenosha police detective.". Both DOJ and OLR have asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit. Please subscribe to keep reading. Bell was unlawfully stopped by the police. In October 2021, Bell filed a formal complaint with Gov. The Kenosha Police Department gave sworn statements to justify their conduct that are unsupported by the physical evidence. One year ago: New York Gov. Two lawsuits that Bell filed one demanding that the city release the bullet that killed his son, the other accusing the officer who killed his son of libel have been dismissed; those rulings are on appeal. Gonzales' candidacy was first reported by Wisconsin Public Radio. I personally think that what Gonzalesjust did is going to put the incident under a microscope even further and its going to help us magnify the problems with the Kenosha Police Department, the Kenosha Police and Fire Commission and the DAs office.. Mayor Antaramian refuses to release a bullet that may refute KPDs version of the shooting. It was dismissed by Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Chad Kerkman on Thursday. The Wisconsin Examiner has several times sought an interview with Antaramian about Bells claims and accusations. Anatomy of a Police Cover-Up," which explores continuing questions about the 2004 fatal shooting of Michael E. 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Bell believes the dent was made by a bullet, and a ballistics expert he hired reported that the dent had traces of lead. And the decade-old death has led to real reform in the state. Elliot Hughes. If you know this officer, if you've worked with him before, can you really be objective in terms of evaluating that shooting? Daniel Gaitan. Bell timed the ads to run when the eyes of much of the world were on Kenosha because of the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, who shot and killed two people and wounded a third in August 2020 during the unrest that followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake. According to documents in his city personnel file, Morrissey fulfilled requirements for his degree by taking correspondence courses. Michael E. Bell Wisconsin Department Of Justice Jacob Blake Shooting Van Wanggaard Lena Taylor Senate Judiciary And Public Safety Committee 21st Senate District National Transportation Safety. In the heat of the moment, they reason, the tugging sensation of his holster on the mirror could have caused Strausbaugh to mistakenly believe that his gun was being seized, leading him to panic. Six years later, they received a $1.75 million settlement. Bell filed suit late last summer in Kenosha County Circuit Court against the city after his requests to obtain the bullet were denied by city officials and Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley. ", An unarmed Michael Bell Jr. was shot and killed by Kenosha police officers in front of his parents' home in 2004. Michael M. Bell says he is not accusing Strausbaugh, who took his own life in 2010, of deliberately lying in his description of the incident. Another tick-borne disease is on the rise in the U.S. . Kim Marie Bell, 64, formerly of Kenosha, late of Milwaukee, passed away peacefully, Sunday, February 12, 2023 at her residence. 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Thats important, the elder Bell says, because it calls into question the assumption that the officers at the scene were in danger. The university, citing privacy laws, refused to discuss Morriseys transcript with the Wisconsin Examiner. Bell had asked that he be allowed access to the bullet that killed Michael E. Bell Jr. about 17 years ago outside the garage at his home on the citys south side for further investigation and analysis. That computer-generated document lists the same courses and grades as the version that is in Morrisseys personnel file, but does not indicate when the courses were taken. Born on []. Son of the late Art Kambs and Betty Shumard Kambs, [], Stanley E. McCormick, age 94, passed away Friday, April 21 at his daughters home with his wife Genevieve at his side. Bell charges that the official account of how his son died has distorted key details to justify the shooting and avoid accountability for the police department, the officers involved and the city. Bell Sr. said Gonzales' decision to run for sheriff doesn't seem rational. We think (Kerkman) was right.. City officials expect tens of thousands of people from across the area to take part in Independence Day festivities the week of July 4. Months later, at the city councils May 2 meeting, Bell spoke during the citizen comments about the fifth officer. They took out ads in the New York Times, in USA Today and on radio and created TV commercials. Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. The police used unlawful and excessive force against Bell, both tasing and choking him. [], Micheal Kenneth McCambridge, 61, of Kenosha, was called home to his Lord on Friday, April 7, 2023, at his home after valiantly fighting cancer for over six years. The document appears to indicate that Morrissey completed the 40 courses for his degree over a 16-month period a pace that both Beckman and Bell found unbelievable. He was born on January 8th, 1928, to the late Frank and Mary (Jankula) [], Kenosha native John Paul (J.P.) Schwarz passed away at his Somers residence on Saturday, April 22, 2023. Find the obituary of Kim Marie Bell (1958 - 2023) from Kenosha, WI. Michael M. Bell filed suit Monday, Sept. 13, 2021, in Kenosha County Circuit Court after his requests to obtain the bullet dating back to last year were denied repeatedly. A subsequent toxicology report showed that Bell had been drinking that night. "I'm not against law enforcement, even though a law officer killed my son," Bell says. Bell asked the city to release the bullet so his ballistic expert could examine it and compare it with the dent. "The public needs to know whether the facts involved will be an issue or a bias will be there because of that working relationship.". Bell who is called Mitchell Smith in the book sued Gonzalez for libel for inventing a quote attributed to Smith that implied he was seeking vengeance against Gonzalez. The investigator, Allen Ezell, a former FBI agent, spent months and produced a 258-page report. Follow Wisconsin Examiner on Facebook and Twitter. Four officers were involved in the incident, and as Bell Jr. was held down over a car, one officer yelled Hes got my gun.. Bell and his family filed a federal civil suit in 2005 against the officers involved. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. A man is in custody after a Kenosha woman interrupted an attempted attack on a teenage girl early Sunday at their home in 6400 block of 22nd A, PLEASANT PRAIRIE Village police arrested a 32-year-old Illinois man wanted in an alleged attempt to run over an Illinois officer with a stol, SALEM The Monday evening Community Library Board of Trustees meeting was packed with area residents voicing support and criticism of some of. Beckman and Bell believe that Strausbaughs holster might have been snagged on the cars side view mirror. . Andrew Cuomos administration confirmed that thousands more nursing home residents died of COVID-19 than the states official tallies had previously acknowledged. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Police had no lawful reason to stop Michael Bell's vehicle, and in so doing, violated not only the law but also their own Policies and Procedures. He says he knew the police had not even talked to the witnesses or gotten the report back from the crime lab. Sometimes you misinterpret something. hide caption. A struggle ensued, and while his mom and sister watched from the house, Bell was shot, point-blank, in the head. She had [], Hildegarde (Naunheim) Briese, age 94, passed away on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at Aurora Medical Center Kenosha. But after lab reports finally came back, Michael Bell Jr.'s DNA and fingerprints were not found on the officer's gun. Based on the police account, the bullet would have been fired away from the garage. 2023. After police in Kenosha, Wis., shot my 21-year-old son to death outside his house ten years ago . And if that is accurate, he argues, Michael E. Bell could not have had his hand on Strausbaughs gun as the officer claimed. DEIJ Policy | Ethics Policy | Privacy Policy, According to the police departments official account. And then she told me it was by a police officer," Bell says. In the nearly 17 years since 21-year-old Michael E. Bell was shot and killed by Kenosha, Wisconsin, police in front of his home, his father, Michael M. Bell Sr. has made it his life's work to . Bell Jr. was resisting arrest at the time and police said he was trying to grab an officers gun. Meanwhile, the stateSupreme Court Office of Lawyer Regulationhas agreed to evaluate ifKenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley mishandled his 2017 decision not to launch a John Doe investigation into the shooting. He said he hoped to bring a leadership style to the sheriff's office that would support rank-and-file officers, especially those who worked during days of civil unrest last year after a Kenosha police officer shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times. He vowed to take the case to the Court of Appeals and to continue investigating his sons death. Bell has been seeking to gain access to the bullet that killed his son, Michael E. Bell Jr., outside his Kenosha home in 2004 for outside examination. Dawn was born on April 12, 1982, in Waukegan, IL, the daughter of Daniel Ratzke and Kathy [], Donald G. Urban, Sr., 72 years old, of Pleasant Prairie, WI passed away peacefully on Monday, April 17, 2023, at Aurora Medical Center in Kenosha, WI. She was the last child born to [], Keith Robert Drysdale, age 73, passed away at his residence on Tuesday, April 11, 2023 surrounded by his family. documentary video says the pattern of the blood also supports the conclusion that his son was shot on the right side rather than the left. Bells most recent sally is his public accusation that the Kenosha city administrator, John Morrissey, when he was a Kenosha police officer, provided false information when he submitted a transcript for a college degree that he had received. Beckman filed a 107-page appealon July 12, and on July 20, the office said it would "further review" the grievance. I am fully confident that the officer's actions complied with the Kenosha Police Department's use of force guidelines.". That wrongful death lawsuit was later settled out of court, and the Bells were awarded $1.75 million. Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. In 2019, Racine County Circuit Judge Timothy Boyle rejected Bells petition. In 2019, Bell found a dent in siding flashing on the garage. Barton says it didn't take long. Please subscribe to keep reading. Gonzaleshas recently publicizedhis involvement in the shooting. For questions or comments, contact WPRs Audience Services at 1-800-747-7444, email listener@wpr.org or use our Listener Feedback form. Born on July 16th, 1935, in Kenosha, [], Patty Miller-Ennis, age 64, entered Gods heavenly kingdom, April 21, 2023, at home, surrounded by her loving family. Michael Bell is a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force. She was born on June [], Robert Alan Marshall, age 67, passed away at his residence on Thursday, April 13, 2023 surrounded by his loving family. Mar 22, 2022. On November 9, 2004, a Kenosha police officer shot Michael Bell in the head one day before Michael was to testify at a court hearing regarding a previous incident with the same officer who stopped him this last fatal time. In a 1998 AP. Born in Milo, IA on June 20, 1947, he was the son of [], Susan Burke, 68, of Kenosha passed away on April 23, 2023, surrounded by her loving family. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Im not running on my past. While the report views the details of Morrisseys degree and transcript with skepticism, it doesnt offer any hypotheses for how such a record could be falsified. Barton says. Bell recognizes that their accomplishment with the bill happened with the help of the police. Here's what it means. Michael M. Bell subsequently sued the city. In a letter to Bell, the prosecutor asserted the lack of DNA on the gun proved nothing, and that in brief contact with a firearm or holster, you would almost never see a positive test result for the presence of that persons DNA. He also stated that DNA analysts at the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) State Crime Lab had told him that there would be no expectation of DNA results under the facts and circumstances described in your sons death.. The police account of the incident has depicted Gonzalez, the officer who fired the fatal shot, standing at Michael E. Bells left with his gun drawn when he pulled the trigger. Barton says that Wisconsin has had many officer-involved shootings and custody deaths. He said his suspicions about the degrees authenticity fit into a pattern of deception he believes is tied to a cover-up of the circumstances of his sons death at the hands of police nearly 18 years ago. Each reenactment was inconsistent with the forensic evidence. He was born October 9, 1950, in Kenosha WI, the son []. Ezells report also notes that Morrissey was unable to recall any of the people who proctored his exams, although the colleges practice was for students to enlist exam proctors in their community or among people they knew. During pretrial depositions, Bell and his lawyers questioned inconsistencies in the official account that contradicted physical evidence and accounts from eyewitnesses outside the police department. He believes that what happened was the result of an avoidable error in judgment an error that should be recognized and from which police and prosecutors might learn so that its less likely to happen again. But that misinterpretation needs to be unpacked, he argues not simply dismissed as somehow unavoidable. "She called me up: 'Dad, you need to come to the hospital, Michael's been shot.' Bell's father, Michael Bell Sr., hired his own investigators, who discovered considerable inconsistencies with the police account. Bell had hired Michael Haag, a nationally recognized ballistics expert with the Albuquerque Police Department, to review evidence collected from the homes garage trim, which suggested that it sustained an impact from the bullet from the shooting. Josephine Josie Perez, went home to Jesus on Tuesday, April 4, 2023 at her residence, Woods of Caledonia Assisted Living; she was 76. Stay informed with WPR's email newsletter. The Police Department ruled the shooting justified and the Kenosha County district attorney at the time, Robert Jambois, didnt issue charges. So far, however, the administration of Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian has ignored Bells claim and not responded to inquiries about it from the Wisconsin Examiner. In 2011, chaos engulfed Egypt as protesters seized the streets of Cairo, battling police, burning down the ruling partys headquarters and defying a military curfew. In 2001, according to his city personnel file, Morrissey received a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice through Kaplan Colleges, a for-profit college. It was a flawed investigation from the beginning.. Beckman then filed a 107-page response with additional information in July, and the office agreed to review the matter again. She was born on September 30, 1958 to Amy P. Pfalzgraf and Walter Fincke in Fond du Lac, WI. City officials showed no interest in the proposed deal. The decision that is being appealed is that the Board would take no action on the complaint filed. In late July, Beckman filed a brief opposing the dismissal motion. In 1916, Louis D. Brandeis was nominated by President Woodrow Wilson to the Supreme Court; Brandeis became the courts first Jewish member. Born on July 9, 1949, he was the son of the [], Eva Fluhrer, age 84, passed away at her residence on Monday, April 10, 2023. Police testified that Michael had his hand on Officer Strausbaughs gun, but The Wisconsin State Crime Lab found no fingerprints or DNA. Bell Jr. was resisting arrest at the time and police said he was trying to grab an officer's gun. "I presume their investigator will review the submission and again make a recommendation on whether the board should further review. "Because if you actually did do everything right, why wouldn't you want a transparent investigation that clears you and that shows everybody why you did the right thing?" The location of entrance and exit wounds on Michaels body contradicts the police statements. But the case did result in the city paying a $1.75 million settlement to his family in a federal lawsuit, and it pushed Wisconsin to require outside law enforcement agencies to investigate officer-involved deaths. In 2020, the United States and several other nations prepared to airlift citizens out of the Chinese city at the center of a virus outbreak that had killed more than 100 people. Walker signed the bill. Julia was born on February 14, 1943, in Salt Lake City, UT, [], Roger Dale Grisham, age 71, drew his last breath on earth with his children by his side and was reunited with the love of his life on April 09, 2023. "The only way to line up the muzzle stamp to Officer Gonzales' gun's position is to have Michael Edward Bell's face pointed towards the sky.". Aug 24, 2020 KENOSHA, Wis. For Michael Bell, the shooting of Jacob Blake hits especially close to home. Bell got out of the car he was driving and a scuffle ensued, with Bell at one point breaking away and running toward the house after the officer used a taser on him. Graveley has maintained the allegations are without merit. There was a problem saving your notification. "And I just I figured it might've been shot in the leg or shot in the arm but I came to find out that an officer placed a gun directly to my son's temple and took his life.". He [], Arthur Webster Molette, Jr., age 74, passed away at Froedtert Pleasant Prairie Hospital on Friday, April 14, 2023. YORKVILLE A Kenosha man who was found unresponsive in a car at a gas station is facing multiple drug charges. At that point, Gonzalez was at point-blank range from Bell, and on Kruegers order, he shot Bell. Contact Editor Ruth Conniff for questions: info@wisconsinexaminer.com. In such situations, you do the best you can in the moment, he said. The daughter of the late Edward and Virginia [], John Hazelhurst Kambs, age 75, of Twin Lakes, WI, died on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at Aurora Medical Center Burlington. Why is that? Vera was born in Kendall, WI [], Donald P. Kleczka, age 88, passed away on Saturday, April 22, 2023 surrounded by his loving family. GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. You have permission to edit this article. "The platform I'm going to have is what I'm running for. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Michael M. Bell is seeking an outside independent analysis of the bullet involved in the 2004 death of his son in a Kenosha Police officer-involved shooting.

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