Milwaukee officer shot and killed during struggle with robbery suspect, police say

A Milwaukee police officer was fatally shot during the early hours of Tuesday morning, while responding to a call in one of the city's south side neighborhoods, authorities have confirmed.

The officer, whose name has not been shared publicly, was 37 years old and in his fourth year on the Milwaukee police force. Along with other officers assigned to the city's fourth district, he was dispatched to an intersection near Lincoln Village at around 1:15 a.m. to pursue a suspect wanted in connection with a robbery that had occurred roughly two hours earlier, Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said at a news conference on Tuesday morning.

When police arrived at the scene, Norman said the suspect ignored commands and fled the area on foot. The officer who was killed had caught up to the suspect and an ensuing struggle between them led the suspect to discharge his handgun and fire shots that struck the officer, the police chief said. The officer then discharged his gun, Norman said, and the suspect was hit. Their exchange ended with the death of the suspect, who was only identified as a 19-year-old individual. The police chief said that a cause of death is still being investigated.