2 Officers Shot In South Side Entertainment District

18-year old suspect arrested nearby

By H. Nelson Goodson
June 11, 2009

Milwaukee - Two police officers were shot multiple times on Tuesday, June 9th by an 18-year old suspect on Milwaukee’s Walker Point area.

The suspect, Julius C. Burton was stopped while driving his bicycle on the 900 block of S. 2nd St. by Officers Bryan Norberg, 21, and Graham Kunisch, 26, for suspicious behavior.
A witness who did not want to be identified, said he saw Burton being chased by a man and was pushed aside by Burton. Officers Norberg and Kunisch then stopped their vehicle in front of Burton. When the officers were getting out of their squad Burton shot at them multiple times.
Milwaukee Chief of Police Edward Flynn initiated a suspicious looking behavior policy in the department for officers to stop and question people in a neighborhood without probable cause. In this particular case, both Norberg and Kunisch were unable to draw their weapons when they were confronted by Burton.
Burton is taking medication for schizophrenia, according to relatives. He was charged on Thursday with two counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide. Jacob D. Collins, 21, who sold the hand gun to Burton for $40 is facing charges in federal court. Collins admitted to federal authorities he bought the gun for Burton at a local gun shop.
Officer Norberg has been in the department for six months and Kunisch who remains in critical condition has been an officer for fifteen months. Both officers are expected to survive, according to Flynn.
Tom Aldaña, 25, who works at Super Star Tattoo, 712 S. 2nd St. went to the wounded officers and applied first aid to one of the officers by applying pressure to a wound.
Burton after shooting both officers fled the scene and entered a home thru an open rear door in the 1000 block of S. 3rd St. The owner of the home noticed the door leading to the basement locked and called police. Police entered the home and arrested Burton inside without incident and recovered the suspected handgun used in the shooting near by, according to Chief Flynn.
In April another officer was shot, Officer Vidal Colón, 30, a seven-year veteran in the police department was responding to a domestic dispute call in the 1200 block of S. 36th St. when he got into a shooting match with Louis Manuel Domenech, 25. Officer Colón was shot three times and survived the shooting.
On January 26, 2008, Lodewikus "Vic" Milford a Miller Brewing Co. executive was shot to death by Miguel Ayala, 21, during an armed robbery in the same block where Officers Norberg and Kunisch were shot on Tuesday. Ayala, Carlos Gonzalez, 17, were convicted of the homicide and Irene Rodriguez, then 17 was previously charged as an adult, but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.
On November 6, 2007, Officers Alejandro J. Arce, 26, and Jose Angel Lopez III, 31, were shot multiple times at the 1300 block of S. Greenfield Ave. by Victor Veloz, 16. Veloz was convicted and is serving 60 years in prison.