Gunman opens fire inside Milwaukee police station days after in-custody death

A gunman allegedly fired at staff inside a Milwaukee police station days after a 20-year-old man died in his cell.

Authorities are investigating whether the two incidents could be connected.

"So, we're all aware that the incident happened recently in regards to what happened here at District Number 5. We're still looking into all angles of this," Chief  Jeffrey Norman said at a news conference Friday night.

Around 3 p.m. on Friday a man walked into the lobby of the Milwaukee Police Department's District 5 and allegedly fired several shots, according to a news release.

"At the time, there were several community members inside the lobby," the department said. "An officer returned fire, at which time the suspect fled the location on foot."

Officers ran after the suspect and encountered him on a nearby street where "multiple officers discharged their weapons," hitting him multiple times.

The suspect, 23, suffered non-fatal injuries and was taken to the hospital for treatment. His firearm was recovered by officers, the release states. Police have not released his name.

Seven Milwaukee officers were involved in the shooting. They have all been placed on administrative duty, a standard procedure.

"There is a lot of shaken up staff so my heart is out to my staff," Norman said at the news conference.

On Wednesday, just two days before the shooting, Keishon Thomas, 20, died in his cell at the District 5 station following an arrest earlier that morning during a traffic violation.

He was pulled over just before 2 a.m. for a traffic offense and was arrested after officers learned he had a warrant, according to a police news release.

A search of his car also turned up illegal narcotics, authorities said.

Staff at the jail “conducted multiple cell checks” throughout the day and around 6 p.m. noticed that Thomas was in need of medical attention, according to the news release.

Officers and fire department officials performed CPR but Thomas was pronounced dead. The death remains under investigation.

The medical examiner's office said no trauma was found during an autopsy and the cause of death is pending a toxicology report.

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