One dead, two others shot in Shorewood. Another dead after apparently connected police chase

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2 days ago

One person was shot and killed and two others were shot during the early morning hours of July 3, including a Shorewood police officer who was struck in his ballistic vest and treated and released from the hospital. While chasing the suspect later in the day, officers exchanged gunfire with the man and killed him.
The person who died in Shorewood during the early morning was an adult woman, according to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office. Officials have not revealed the condition or identity of the other person shot in Shorewood and have not revealed the identity of the suspect.
A relative of the woman who died told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the person killed was Victoria Truss, 34. The Medical Examiner's Office called family members on July 3 to notify them of Truss's death, Truss's cousin Dominique Jones said.
Jones and other family members believe Truss was a victim of domestic violence.
Following the early morning Shorewood homicide, police searched for the suspect, locating him around 9:23 a.m., according to a press release sent in the evening by Wauwatosa Detective Joseph Roy who is commander of the Milwaukee Area Investigative Team (MAIT). The entity, a collaboration of 27 area agencies, is spearheading the officer-involved shooting investigation, led by the Oak Creek Police Department.
A car chase ensued where the suspect driver shot at officers until coming to a stop in the Halyard Park neighborhood of Milwaukee at West Reservoir Avenue and North Finlayson Street, according to MAIT. The suspect, an adult male, continued to shoot at officers. Multiple officers fired back and struck the suspect who sustained fatal gunshot injuries.
The medical examiner told the Journal Sentinel they responded to the scene.
Tactical vehicles, ambulances and FBI agents were also present. A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter at the scene observed a black Mercedes car with apparent bullet holes in the rear passenger windows.
No officers were injured during the pursuit and shooting, per MAIT. The involved officers will be placed on leave status, per their own agency's policies.
Jones said she is Truss's cousin, but the two grew up side by side as sisters. She said she's devastated and angry about losing someone she cared for deeply in such a reckless way.
Truss had been fighting regularly with the man she was seeing, and the day before her death, Jones said Truss called her to say she had finally kicked him out, she said. Jones does not know his full name.
Truss leaves behind one son who was about to enter high school in the fall, Jones said. Truss was a graduate of Custer High School and worked as a private security worker at the Metro Mart.
The Shorewood officer was struck by gunfire while in his squad car as he was arriving at the scene of a reported shooting just before 3 a.m. in the 4100 block of North Bartlett Avenue, Shorewood Police Chief Heather Wurth said. At least two rounds struck the windshield, another struck the passenger side of the vehicle, and another struck the officer's vest.
Wurth said she was grateful the officer, whose identity she did not disclose, was wearing a protective vest.
"Half an inch and it could've been a completely different circumstance," she said.
Officers believe they know who the suspect is. Wurth declined to describe the relationship between the suspect and victims but said it was not a random act of violence.
The Shorewood officer is the third Milwaukee-area officer to be struck by gunfire while responding to a call within a week. It follows the shooting of Milwaukee police officers Kendall Corder and Christopher McCray, who were shot June 26, also while responding to a report of shots fired. Corder died from his injuries days later.
"The violence in this community — Milwaukee, Shorewood and the attacks against our officers — has got to stop. It's got to stop," Wurth said.
A shelter-in-place order for nearby Shorewood residents was lifted about 7:20 a.m., about an hour and a half after emergency alerts were sent to residents' phones.
The alerts first went out about 6 a.m. and referenced a "tactical situation" in the 1700 block of East Wood Place.
After the officer was shot, squads from several departments responded to the scene. Officers in a tactical vehicle had been making announcements through a loudspeaker outside a home.
Village President Ann McKaig issued a statement in response to the shooting.
"I'm grateful for the service of the responding officer, the leadership of the Shorewood Police Department and mutual aid from supporting agencies. I am deeply saddened for all who are impacted and pray for their healing and safety," she said.
All Shorewood School District activities were canceled for the day, including summer programs, athletics and recreation programs. Several roads near East Capitol Drive and North Oakland Avenue remained closed after the shelter-in-place order was lifted.
More: Milwaukee mourns the death of police officer Kendall Corder during procession
This story will be updated.
Domestic violence advocates can help with safety planning. Calls to advocates are confidential and do not involve law enforcement.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233.
The Sojourner Family Peace Center in Milwaukee operates a 24-hour confidential hotline at 414-933-2722.
The Milwaukee Women's Center offers a 24-hour crisis line at 414-671-6140.
The Women's Center in Waukesha has a 24-hour hotline at 262-542-3828.
We Are Here Milwaukee provides information on culturally specific organizations at weareheremke.org.
The Asha Project, which provides culturally specific services for African American women and others in Milwaukee, provides a crisis line from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 414-252-0075.
The UMOS Latina Resource Center in Milwaukee offers bilingual, bicultural domestic violence, sexual assault and anti-human trafficking supportive services and operates a 24-hour hotline at 414-389-6510.
The Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center offers culturally sensitive, trauma-informed services for those who have experienced domestic or sexual violence and can be reached at 414-383-9526.
Our Peaceful Home, which serves Muslim families and is a program of the Milwaukee Muslim Women's Coalition, operates a crisis line at 414-727-1090.
The Hmong American Women's Association, which serves the Hmong and Southeast Asian community, has advocates available at 414-930-9352 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin has a statewide directory of resources at endabusewi.org/get-help.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Person dead in Milwaukee after apparent chase, Shorewood shooting