Milwaukee police kick in the door of a northside home while in pursuit of an armed suspect – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Whytwan Versey was asleep in his home near North 11th Streetand West Keefe Ave. the morning of August 6,when Milwaukee police kicked in his front door. According to Milwaukee police, they were in pursuit of an armed suspect.

Around 1:30 a.m. Versey heard a loud bang and glass shatter, he went downstairs to see what happened and was greeted by "lights and guns" in his living room.

Versey said officers then demanded, multiple times, to know who was in the home. Versey said he repeatedly told officers that his fianc, nephew and his dog were the only ones in the home.

Police then ordered everyone out of the home. Versey said his nephew wasin the shower and only in a towel when police ordered him outside. "He's diabetic and only like 100 pounds," Versey said in describing his nephew.

Versey said officers ordered his nephew out of the home wrapped only in the toweland made him walk over the shattered glass from a mirror that was broke whenpolice entered the home. "They made him walk through the glass with no shoes on," said Versey.

Throughout this entire exchange, Versey said, Milwaukee police had their guns pointed at them.

Milwaukee police confirmed officers responded to a gun complaint and interviewed a subject whofled on foot. The officers gave chase andone officer said he saw the suspect enter Versey's residence.

Milwaukee police said in a statement: "Officers located a firearm outside in the vicinity of the residence."

"The U.S. Supreme Court for decades has mulled over the boundaries of the Fourth Amendment warrant requirement," said Jacinta Gau, professor of criminal justice at the University of Central Florida.

Gua is listed as anexpert in criminal justice with The American Society of Criminology.

"There's always a preference for police to get a warrant to enter somebody's home or other private property when possible but so many exigencies exist and there is ample legal grounds for officers to enter a home whenthere is some kind of emergency situation without a warrant," said Gua.

This is the standard operating procedure for Milwaukee police:

"When in pursuit of a fleeing subject for whom the police have probable cause to believe has committed a jailable offense (must be a misdemeanor or felony offense), an officer may enter a home without a warrant if he/she has probable cause to believe the subject is in the home. This hot pursuit exception is limited to a jailable offense (must be a misdemeanor or felony offense) situation and to a chase scenario."

Milwaukee Police add a note stating that officers must use discretion when conducting this practice as"it may not always be the best practice."

Throughout the incident, Versey said one officer kept saying that he saw an armed suspect enter the home. However, Versey said he has surveillance footage that shows no one entered his home.

Versey has surveillance cameras throughout his home and his fianc shared footage of the incident on Facebook.

At one point you can see an officer acknowledge the camera before signaling to a fellow officer that there is a camera.

Gua said, in this instance, Versey needs this evidence to prove Milwaukee Police lied or are mistaken.

"It's going tocome down to a question of facts as to what kind of evidence they can amass about whether somebody did or did not enter the home. Ifnobody entered the homethen the conversation completely changes," said Gua.

Versey said surveillance footage shows the officers knocking on the door. Versey said heand his fianc were sleep and therefore didn't hear the knocking.

Versey's nephew heard the knocking before a loud bang and someone yelling out "police!" Versey said, "(his nephew) stayed in the bathroom because he didn't want to come out and get shot."

"They went through my cabinets and everything. Like if you are looking for a person why are you looking through my cabinets?" asked Versey.

"You come upstairs and you mess up the bedroom and throw everything around in the room. That's not looking for somebody."

Versey said the officers said, "sorry for the inconvenience" before handing him a damage notice with a number onthe back to "handle" the damage. Versey said the officer said "they'll fix your door."

Versey said he called the number and was told that he would receive something in the mail. Versey said that never arrived.

"I would hope that the city has some sort of program for people who are in that situation," said Gua.

In addition to the aforementioned statements from Milwaukee police, they said "no further information is available at this time as this incident is under review." Versey is seeking legal representation.

Contact Drake Bentley at (414) 391-5647 orDBentley1@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DrakeBentleyMJS.

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Milwaukee police kick in the door of a northside home while in pursuit of an armed suspect - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel