By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
February 6, 2019
Milwaukee, WI - On Wednesday, Jordan P. Fricke, 26, was taken into custody in connection with the homicide of Milwaukee Tactical Enforcement Unit (TEU) Police Officer Matthew Rittner, 35, at the 2900 block of S. 12th Street. Officer Rittner, a 17 year police department veteran was shot and fatally wounded around 9:17 a.m. when his TEU unit was executing a search warrant at a residence and attempting to enter the home. When Fricke fired several shots through the door and struck Officer Rittner who was taken to Froedtert Hospital where he later passed away.
Fricke was the target of illegal guns and drug sales and the TEU was executing a warrant at the time of the shooting, according to Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales. No information has been released by police to confirm, if in fact drugs and illegal guns were found at the home other than the weapon used by Fricke to kill Rittner.
Fricke was the target of illegal guns and drug sales and the TEU was executing a warrant at the time of the shooting, according to Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales. No information has been released by police to confirm, if in fact drugs and illegal guns were found at the home other than the weapon used by Fricke to kill Rittner.
Officer Rittner is the third officer killed in the line of duty within the last 8 months.
Police arrested a woman along with Fricke at the scene. Fricke is facing homicide charges.
Officer Rittner was named in a federal lawsuit filed in 2019 by Rafael Rosales claiming that multiple Milwaukee police officers had lied and attempted to cover up that former Officer Michael Gasser had kicked him while handcuff in August 2017 and had suffered an epileptic seizure in back of a police squad car in Franklin. The lawsuit also claims that other officers present celebrated Rosales arrest and then lied in their police reports about what had happened to Rosales in order to cover for Gasser.
The attorneys for Rosales included new dash cam video in the federal lawsuit filed on January 24, 2019 where it showed Officer Gasser attacking Rosales while handcuffed and other officers present who did nothing to stop the attack and then laughed about it, including filing false reports to cover up the incident. Greenfield police officers reported Gasser's attack to the Milwaukee Police Internal Investigation Affairs, which launched an investigation. Currently, police officers that are caught making false police reports and lying to cover up an illegal act by another officer are not fired, but kept in the department, which later become a liability. All police officers that are caught making false reports and lying should be immediately terminated by the Milwaukee Police Department and Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission.
The Milwaukee Police Officers named in the federal lawsuit are James Filsinger, Michael Gasser, Kim Lastrilla, Thomas Marcus, Matthew Rittner, Michael Schwandt, Joseph Scheuring, Adam Stahl and Damon Wilcox. Gasser resigned from the police department and was charged in the kicking incident. He pleaded guilty for three misdemeanor charges and was sentenced to 14 days in jail, 18 months probation, including 200 hours of community service and was fined $500, according to court records. Court records also show that Fricke had two citation incidents of being intoxicated, under age drinking and has no criminal record.
Update: The Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) confirmed that it requested WISN 12 News to remove a news report that also says that a federal civil rights lawsuit was filed against the City of Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Police Department, which named and claimed that deceased Milwaukee Police Officer Rittner and multiple officers had lied and filed false police reports to cover up about then former Police Officer Gasser kicking Rafael Rosales while handcuffed, when he had surrendered to police after a carjacking chase that ended in Franklin. Officer Rittner was among the officers named in the lawsuit when Gasser kicked Rosales in the face, breaking his nose and then was placed behind a police squad car where he had an epileptic seizure and almost died. The incident was video recorded. None of the officers present at the scene from Milwaukee reported the illegal act by Officer Gasser to any police supervisor, until Greenfield police officers reported the incident to the Milwaukee Police Department Internal Affairs. MPD received a backlash from the public in their Facebook post about WISN. MPD is now accused of censoring news not favorable to them, especially breaking protocol by commenting on a pending litigation matter, which the Milwaukee Common Council, the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission and the City of Milwaukee Attorney's Office including the Mayor's Office will now face a similar public backlash, if they support MPD's decision to release such a statement admitting to requesting a news article to be removed.
Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) has also reported about the filed Rosales federal civil rights lawsuit naming the Milwaukee police officers including Officer Rittner in the case and HNNUSA does not remove or censor any news article reporting on a filed federal civil rights lawsuit, which the public has a right to be informed of such litigation, especially involving a local, state or federal law enforcement agency or department.
Officer Rittner was named in a federal lawsuit filed in 2019 by Rafael Rosales claiming that multiple Milwaukee police officers had lied and attempted to cover up that former Officer Michael Gasser had kicked him while handcuff in August 2017 and had suffered an epileptic seizure in back of a police squad car in Franklin. The lawsuit also claims that other officers present celebrated Rosales arrest and then lied in their police reports about what had happened to Rosales in order to cover for Gasser.
The attorneys for Rosales included new dash cam video in the federal lawsuit filed on January 24, 2019 where it showed Officer Gasser attacking Rosales while handcuffed and other officers present who did nothing to stop the attack and then laughed about it, including filing false reports to cover up the incident. Greenfield police officers reported Gasser's attack to the Milwaukee Police Internal Investigation Affairs, which launched an investigation. Currently, police officers that are caught making false police reports and lying to cover up an illegal act by another officer are not fired, but kept in the department, which later become a liability. All police officers that are caught making false reports and lying should be immediately terminated by the Milwaukee Police Department and Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission.
The Milwaukee Police Officers named in the federal lawsuit are James Filsinger, Michael Gasser, Kim Lastrilla, Thomas Marcus, Matthew Rittner, Michael Schwandt, Joseph Scheuring, Adam Stahl and Damon Wilcox. Gasser resigned from the police department and was charged in the kicking incident. He pleaded guilty for three misdemeanor charges and was sentenced to 14 days in jail, 18 months probation, including 200 hours of community service and was fined $500, according to court records. Court records also show that Fricke had two citation incidents of being intoxicated, under age drinking and has no criminal record.
Update: The Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) confirmed that it requested WISN 12 News to remove a news report that also says that a federal civil rights lawsuit was filed against the City of Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Police Department, which named and claimed that deceased Milwaukee Police Officer Rittner and multiple officers had lied and filed false police reports to cover up about then former Police Officer Gasser kicking Rafael Rosales while handcuffed, when he had surrendered to police after a carjacking chase that ended in Franklin. Officer Rittner was among the officers named in the lawsuit when Gasser kicked Rosales in the face, breaking his nose and then was placed behind a police squad car where he had an epileptic seizure and almost died. The incident was video recorded. None of the officers present at the scene from Milwaukee reported the illegal act by Officer Gasser to any police supervisor, until Greenfield police officers reported the incident to the Milwaukee Police Department Internal Affairs. MPD received a backlash from the public in their Facebook post about WISN. MPD is now accused of censoring news not favorable to them, especially breaking protocol by commenting on a pending litigation matter, which the Milwaukee Common Council, the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission and the City of Milwaukee Attorney's Office including the Mayor's Office will now face a similar public backlash, if they support MPD's decision to release such a statement admitting to requesting a news article to be removed.
Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) has also reported about the filed Rosales federal civil rights lawsuit naming the Milwaukee police officers including Officer Rittner in the case and HNNUSA does not remove or censor any news article reporting on a filed federal civil rights lawsuit, which the public has a right to be informed of such litigation, especially involving a local, state or federal law enforcement agency or department.
City of Milwaukee Alderman Robert "Bob" Donovan posted on his Facebook account that the "media's sick, constant war on cops" in relation to WISN 12 News reporting about Officer Rittner being named in a federal civil rights lawsuit.
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