Keep updated on the latest news and information. But after lab reports finally came back, Michael Bell Jr.'s DNA and fingerprints were not found on the officer's gun. Bell had hired Michael Haag, a nationally recognized ballistics expert with the Albuquerque (N.M.) Police Department, to review evidence collected from the homes garage trim, which suggested that it sustained an impact from the bullet from the shooting. As the father of Michael Bell, who was killed by a rogue police officer, I am going to be the first citizen calling for a vote of no confidence, Bell said. Officers said he was uncooperative and a struggle ensued in his familys driveway. But the other officers who were on the scene were in a position to understand that Strausbaugh was mistaken, Bell and Beckman believe. Bell got out of the car he was driving and a scuffle ensued, with Bell at one point breaking away and running toward the house after the officer used a taser on him. Michael M. Bell is seeking an outside independent analysis of the bullet involved in the 2004 death of his son in a Kenosha Police officer-involved shooting. Five police units were even present when Gov. The trim initially underwent testing by the state crime lab, which could not conclusively say what had caused the indentation without the actual projectile involved in the shooting to compare it to. A Kenosha police officer shot and killed Michael E. Bell in the driveway of his mothers home in the early morning hours of Nov. 9, 2004. Mayor Antaramian refuses to release a bullet that may refute KPDs version of the shooting. In late July, Beckman filed a brief opposing the dismissal motion. The law they put forth would make Wisconsin the first state in the nation to mandate, on the legislative level, that if an officer was involved with a loss of life, that outside investigators must come in and collect the data and investigate that shooting. documentary video says the pattern of the blood also supports the conclusion that his son was shot on the right side rather than the left. These forensic facts remain a constant no matter how anyone says the shooting of Bell occurred. Michael M. Bell's son was killed in the driveway of his mother's home the elder Bell's ex-wife. Citizens in Kenosha can no longer remain quiet, and the public must know all about the many problems in this case and the refusal of city administration to address these problems.. The investigator, Allen Ezell, a former FBI agent, spent months and produced a 258-page report. He believes that what happened was the result of an avoidable error in judgment an error that should be recognized and from which police and prosecutors might learn so that its less likely to happen again. If that dent could be linked to the bullet that killed his son, Bell says, it would support his scenario for the shooting: that the bullet was fired in the direction of the garage. Police reenacted the events surrounding the shooting of Michael Bell three times. "The only way to line up the muzzle stamp to Officer Gonzales' gun's position is to have Michael Edward Bell's face pointed towards the sky.". "I finally made a decision that we're never going to get to the truth of the matter, unless we bring in our own personal investigators," he says. He was born on January 6, 1949, in Kenosha, [], Charles Adair Fox, 72 years old, a lifelong Kenosha resident passed away Wednesday April 12, 2023, at his home. But that misinterpretation needs to be unpacked, he argues not simply dismissed as somehow unavoidable. "After we created enough ruckus, the unions ended up sitting down with us and talking with us," Bell says. New Bell documentary released Michael Bell Jr. KENOSHA -- On the anniversary of his son's death, Michael Bell said he hopes a new documentary will get the case reopened. DEIJ Policy | Ethics Policy | Privacy Policy, According to the police departments official account. "And I just I figured it might've been shot in the leg or shot in the arm but I came to find out that an officer placed a gun directly to my son's temple and took his life.". Bell believes Haags examination of the bullet would uncover more evidence toward an accurate portrayal of how his sons death unfolded. One year ago: New York Gov. Aug 24, 2020 KENOSHA, Wis. For Michael Bell, the shooting of Jacob Blake hits especially close to home. In October 2021, Bell filed a formal complaint with Gov. Son of the late Art Kambs and Betty Shumard Kambs, [], Stanley E. McCormick, age 94, passed away Friday, April 21 at his daughters home with his wife Genevieve at his side. he father of a man police fatally shot outside his Kenosha home in 2004 filed a lawsuit this week against the city seeking access to the bullet that killed his son. J.P., the son of John M. and Barbara K. Schwarz, was born on [], John H. Nielson, less than a month shy from his 66 years old, passedaway on April 21, 2023 at St. Lukes Hospital-Milwaukee surrounded byhis family. Bell Sr. said Gonzales' decision to run for sheriff doesn't seem rational. Both DOJ and OLR have asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit. Im running, clearly, on the future. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Bell timed the ads to run when the eyes of much of the world were on Kenosha because of the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, who shot and killed two people and wounded a third in August 2020 during the unrest that followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Born in [], Dolores Mae (Gratz) Fox Foxie, age 80, passed away at Froedtert Pleasant Prairie Hospital on Saturday, April 1, 2023, surrounded by her loving family after a short illness. Bell's son was shot and killed by police in Kenosha, Wis. Race is at the forefront of the current debate over the police use of deadly force. Gonzales has been with the Kenosha Police Department since 1997 and is a native of Kenosha County. The investigation showed that the actions of the officers were reasonable, appropriate and well within Kenosha Police Department policy, procedure, and training. Tony Evers, charging that Attorney General Josh Kaul and the DOJ had ignored his repeated requests for the agency to take a new look at his sons death. "The platform I'm going to have is what I'm running for. Michael M. Bell says he is not accusing Strausbaugh, who took his own life in 2010, of deliberately lying in his description of the incident. Bell's father, Michael Sr., says he'll never forget the phone call he received on the night of Nov. 9, 2004, from his oldest daughter. Born in Milo, IA on June 20, 1947, he was the . She says that what led to the shooting was one of the officers shouting, "He's got my gun.". Mar 22, 2022. Here's what it means. Community members collaborate to repaint Nifty Thrifty Resale Shop, Katy Perry loses name trademark battle, James Corden signs off The Late Late Show, and more celeb news. MUZZLE STAMP. Morrissey had Kaplan, now part of Purdue University, send Ezell an official transcript. One year ago: Cicely Tyson, the pioneering Black actor who gained an Oscar nomination for her role as the sharecroppers wife in Sounder, won a Tony Award in 2013 at age 88 and touched TV viewers hearts in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, died; she was 96. Michael M. Bell of Kenosha, shown during an interview late last year, has found himself in the national spotlight over the last week, since Politico.com published an essay about the police. In a statement made in 2010, which the police department forwarded this December in response to NPR's request for comment, Police Chief John Morrissey from the Kenosha Police Department said, in part: "The investigation showed that the actions of the officers were reasonable, appropriate and well within Kenosha Police Department policy, procedure, and training. [], Lois Annette Travor, age 79, passed away at her residence on Sunday, April 2, 2023 surrounded by her loving family. He was born on September 16th, 1984, in Waukegan, IL, to Paul and Connie (Hayes) Roark. Sometimes you misinterpret something. The police account of the incident has depicted Gonzalez, the officer who fired the fatal shot, standing at Michael E. Bells left with his gun drawn when he pulled the trigger. "And another officer thought that Mike Bell was trying to disarm his partner," Barton says. The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide. Bell hired a private investigator to authenticate Morrisseys degree and transcript. The Kenosha police officer who shot and killed Michael Bell Jr. in 2004 is running in next year's election for Kenosha County sheriff . KENOSHA - Michael A. Conhartowski, 49, of Kenosha WI, passed away peacefully on Monday March 8, 2021, surrounded by his close family, giving him support and love as he concluded his journey. Michael M. Bell believes that scenario would undermine the official justification for the shooting: to prevent Strausbaughs gun from being turned on the officers. 2023. And is it really proper for the police to be policing themselves? . I would like to see a proper investigation conducted, Bell said in one of several interviews with the Wisconsin Examiner over the last two years about the case. Follow Wisconsin Examiner on Facebook and Twitter. "It wasn't until later that we realized just how little of an investigation had been done," Barton says. After police in Kenosha, Wis., shot my 21-year-old son to death outside his house ten years ago . Gina Barton, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's law enforcement investigative reporter, covered the story back in 2004. The next month, he took out a national newspaper ad to put additional pressure on the governor and the attorney general. With this voluminous new submission, I presume the director would want his professional staff to do due diligence,"Graveley said in an emailed statement. The two walked off-camera, where police tried to arrest him. Michael M. Bell filed suit Monday, Sept. 13, 2021, in Kenosha County Circuit Court after his requests to obtain the bullet dating back to last year were denied repeatedly. Michael E. Bell Wisconsin Department Of Justice Jacob Blake Shooting Van Wanggaard Lena Taylor Senate Judiciary And Public Safety Committee 21st Senate District National Transportation Safety. At this point, Bell was up against the hood of a car parked in the driveway. It wasn't until later that we realized just how little of an investigation had been done. Numerous armed officers . Nicholas Nick Ryan Torcaso, age 34, found peace on April 29, 2023, after a 3-year struggle with drug addiction. She had [], Hildegarde (Naunheim) Briese, age 94, passed away on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at Aurora Medical Center Kenosha. The links at left demonstrate that the Kenosha Police Department unnecessarily and wrongfully killed Michael Bell. A John Doe investigation is similar to a grand jury investigation, but it is instead overseen by a judge, rather than a jury. But the investigator questions the pace at which Morrissey completed the curriculum for his degree 40 courses, each 72 hours, in 16 months. On Monday, Bell doubled down and demanded the bullet be available for further analysis. 0:08. Gina Barton, of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, says that one of the experts hired by Bell came up with a theory that the gun had probably gotten caught on the rear-view mirror of the car near the scuffle. The daughter of the late Edward and Virginia [], John Hazelhurst Kambs, age 75, of Twin Lakes, WI, died on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at Aurora Medical Center Burlington. He said he hoped to bring a leadership style to the sheriff's office that would support rank-and-file officers, especially those who worked during days of civil unrest last year after a Kenosha police officer shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times. Another tick-borne disease is on the rise in the U.S. Police officers unlawfully applied deadly force against Michael Bell. Dashcam footage shows the two men talked and then struggled. The grievance alleges Graveley acted with dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation in his decision not to launch the investigation. Deputy Editor Erik Gunn reports and writes on work and the economy, health policy and related subjects, for the Wisconsin Examiner. Wisconsin Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. He finished a distant third in the contest Tuesday night.). In continuing to pursue answers, about two years ago the older Bell had a segment of aluminum trim coil on the garage examined by Haag, whose testing the older Bell said uncovered lead in a dent on the trim. Beckman and Bell believe that Strausbaughs holster might have been snagged on the cars side view mirror. His grievance claimed that a strong scientific consensus contradicts Graveleys statement, and the prosecutors claim was dishonest, fraudulent, deceitful and a misrepresentation of the facts.. Because his sons car had been parked against the garage the new evidence in the trim had not been readily visible until after it was moved as his ex-wife had sold the home. . On November 9, 2004, a Kenosha police officer shot Michael Bell in the head one day before Michael was to testify at a court hearing regarding a previous incident with the same officer who stopped him this last fatal time. Bell timed the ads to run when the eyes of much of the world were on Kenosha because of the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, who shot and killed two people and wounded a third in August 2020 during the unrest that followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Bells repeated attempts to interest the city, the Kenosha County District Attorneys office, the courts and the Wisconsin Department of Justice in re-examining his sons death have all hit dead-ends. The younger Bell was killed by police following a traffic stop on Nov. 9, 2004. The Kenosha police officer who was the subject of a $1.75 million wrongful death settlement is running for sheriff as an office of the Wisconsin Supreme Court considers the conduct of thecounty district attorney. Michael M. Bells son was killed in the driveway of his mothers home the elder Bells ex-wife. The suit also named Kenoshas city-county Joint Services, which currently has custody of the bullet. This is nothing more than a case of somebody pulling the wool over everybodys eyes, Bell said in a recent interview. Bell Jr. was resisting arrest at the time and police said he was trying to grab an officer's gun. "Im just proud to be part of this county and I really want to contribute to the future of this county," said Gonzalez, who filed as a Republican. Bells most recent sally is his public accusation that the Kenosha city administrator, John Morrissey, when he was a Kenosha police officer, provided false information when he submitted a transcript for a college degree that he had received. Daniel Gaitan. Bell had asked that he be allowed access to the bullet that killed Michael E. Bell Jr. about 17 years ago outside the garage at his home on the citys south side for further investigation and analysis. Bell offers another detail to support his contention that his son never touched Strausbaughs gun: In a 2005 State Crime Lab report on the shooting, investigators stated they found no evidence of the younger Bells DNA on the weapon. In the nearly 17 years since 21-year-old Michael E. Bell was shot and killed by Kenosha, Wisconsin, police in front of his home, his father, Michael M. Bell Sr. has made it his life's work to . Born on November 17, 1938, to the late Lester and Edith (Hardegen) Ruka, she attended local [], Sylvia Rapp, 65, of Kenosha passed away on Sunday April 9, 2023 at Aurora Medical Center surrounded by her loving family. It's a story of how through faith and resilience, he and his family overcame persecution, threats, and media attacks.". A struggle ensued, and while his mom and sister watched from the house, Bell was shot, point-blank, in the head. Bell Sr. said hes relieved Graveleys 2017 decision will get a second look. A retired Kenosha police detective, Russell Beckman, who has been aiding Bell as a volunteer since 2012, developed a theory about what happened that has become part of Bells argument. This past April, Wisconsin Gov. According to documents in his city personnel file, Morrissey fulfilled requirements for his degree by taking correspondence courses. If you know this officer, if you've worked with him before, can you really be objective in terms of evaluating that shooting? Recent Obituaries; Find an Obituary; Archives; Opinion. A 30-year-old Kenosha woman is facing numerous criminal charges after allegedly burglarizing a home and neglecting her children. But Michael M. Bell points to several specific pieces of evidence indicating that Gonzalez stood on his sons right side when the shot was fired, not his left side. Bell says the family was in shock as they went through the difficult grieving process and were trying to make funeral arrangements, so he cautioned patience. John was born on March 28, 1969 in Des Plaines, IL, the son of [], Dennis C Eskola of Kenosha WI was born Sept 02, 1959 to Bruce and Nancy (Togersen) Eskola in Milwaukee, WI. Kenosha County Circuit Judge Chad Kerkman dismissed the lawsuit Feb. 7, 2022; Bell has appealed the dismissal. I'm just looking toward the future.". Tony Evers, charging that Attorney General Josh Kaul and the DOJ had ignored his repeated requests for the agency to take a new look at his sons death. Shirley Ann Ruth Pierson Norberg was one of those bright souls that left a trail of stardust in [], Susan McClure, 71 years old of Kenosha, WI formerly of Racine, WI passed away in her home on Monday April 10. Born on October 31, 1934, he was the son of the late Frank [], It is with our deepest sadness to announce Nola May Raines has passed away on April 26th, 2023. Bell had hired Michael Haag, a nationally recognized ballistics expert with the Albuquerque Police Department, to review evidence collected from the homes garage trim, which suggested that it sustained an impact from the bullet from the shooting. An unarmed Michael Bell Jr. was shot and killed by Kenosha police officers in front of his parents' home in 2004. Michael Bell on one of the many billboards his father bought to draw attention to internal police investigations after his son was fatally shot by Kenosha police in 2004. City Attorney Ed Antaramian on Friday said he could not comment at length on the matter. Ive put up billboards, Ive called out the city, Bell said. "I had formulated in my mind what really needed to occur here to make this process better," he says. it pushed Wisconsin to require outside law enforcement agencies, has continued battling for accountability ever since, Kenosha police have killed at least 5 people in last 17 years, Gonzalesalso self-published a memoir about the shooting, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. A police officer who, according to a police report chose to follow Bell after observing his driving, arrived shortly after. She was born in Palatine, IL on December 30, 1943. Police testified that Michael had his hand on Officer Strausbaughs gun, but The Wisconsin State Crime Lab found no fingerprints or DNA. Courtesy of the Bell family Before the libel suit was dismissed, another detail in the book caught Bells attention: the mention that Gonzalez makes in the narrative of a fifth officer among the witnesses to the incident in contrast to the four that had been identified in official police reports. Bell Jr. was resisting arrest at the time and police said he was trying to grab an officers gun. Browse Kenosha News obituaries, conduct other obituary searches, offer condolences/tributes, send flowers or create an online memorial. Gonzales' candidacy was first reported by Wisconsin Public Radio. Born on March 12, 1961, in Escanaba, [], Suzanne Sonja Simonovich, 67 years old of Pleasant Prairie, WI passed away Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at Aurora St. Lukes Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI. Michael M. Bell subsequently sued the city. They gave statements that Gonzalez was on the younger Bells right side, not his left side as the police account has claimed, and that Strausbaugh was immediately behind Gonzalez. The Kenosha mayors only response was to send the Examiner a four-page table of investigations, reports and public statements, with summaries for each item that concluded there were no grounds for reopening the matter. The officer shot Bell pointblank in the head in front of his motherand sister. , Kenosha Police officer Erich Strausbaugh pulled the younger Bell over into the driveway of his home after pursuing him. She was born October 23, 1958 in Kenosha, the daughter of James [], Alan S. Owens, Dyn-O-Mite, age 74, passed away at Aurora Medical Center Kenosha on Tuesday, April 18, 2023 surrounded by his loving family. OLR has rejected Beckmans grievance as well as subsequent appeals. In 2017, Bell met with Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley and asked for a new investigation. Born in Milo, IA on June 20, 1947, he was the son of [], Susan Burke, 68, of Kenosha passed away on April 23, 2023, surrounded by her loving family. Competitive balance is coming to WIAA high school sports. Updated daily. Michael M. Bell Post Office Box 42 Kenosha, WI 53141-0042 Plea4Change@aol.com (262) 553-2194 Sign up now! In 2019, Bell found a dent in siding flashing on the garage. Graveley sent a letter to Bell Sr. in September 2017 declining. The family later received a $1.75 million wrongful death settlement. A subsequent toxicology report showed that Bell had been drinking that night. In a grievance filed by Beckman to the Office of Lawyer Regulation, he alleges Graveley misrepresented evidence in the case. Why is that? Although we give you the inside scoop, we are not a publication for insiders. Instead, we cover the way politics and government affect citizens of the state. So far, Bells campaign has generated full-page newspaper ads and TV spots, but otherwise nothing but roadblocks. Ezell interviewed Morrissey twice for the report, and writes that Morrissey stood by his claim at having completed the program in the reported time. Beckman, who lives in Brown County, is now suing the agency in circuit court there; he is representing himself. Two lawsuits that Bell filed one demanding that the city release the bullet that killed his son, the other accusing the officer who killed his son of libel have been dismissed; those rulings are on appeal. Four officers were involved in the incident, and as Bell Jr. was held down over a car, one officer yelled Hes got my gun.. "[They] basically just accepted the officers' version of events. Nevertheless, in an email message that Bell sent June 30 to dozens of Kenosha-area elected officials, Bell stated, I strongly believe, based on the findings of Allen Ezells report, that former Chief of Police John Morrissey fraudulently obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice.. While Boyles order noted that there had been contradictory descriptions of the incident, the judge minimized the significance of the absence of DNA. Bullet lawsuit, complaint to governor. He was born October 9, 1950, in Kenosha WI, the son []. I could not get anybody in the state of Wisconsin to listen, Bell said in a recent interview. We asked for the bullet to be examined because nobody knows the truth, yet, about what has gone on, Bell said Friday. Details were not immediately available. Video: Kenosha police save driver after minivan bursts into flames, Meet Gaston: The Disney villain in Kenosha's "Beauty and the Beast" show, TODAY'S TEEN 2023: Lia Montemurro of LakeView Technology Academy, Bristol man accused of child enticement, assault and possessing child pornography, Racine man charged in Kenosha after fleeing from deputies in Walmart parking lot, Kenosha woman charged with burglary, theft and child neglect, Instagram mom convicted for fabricating story about kids' kidnapping, Rare images captured of butterflies taking flight after emerging from chrysalis, Ride like royalty! It was dismissed by Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Chad Kerkman on Thursday. So they were cleared really quickly. That case also has been dismissed. The actions of the officers involved in the incident were deemed justified after an internal investigation. He was expecting a long, drawn-out investigation into his own son's death not a decision made by the same police department in just a couple of days. Bell has said he believes Haags examination of the bullet would uncover more evidence toward an accurate portrayal of how his sons death unfolded. But there was no admission of wrongdoing, and the police maintained that Michael Bell Jr. caused his own death. If Gonzalez was standing between Strausbaugh and Bells son, then he should have realized that the younger Bell could not have grabbed Strausbaughs weapon, they contend and so there was no need for Gonzalez to shoot. View Kenosha obituaries on Legacy, the most timely and comprehensive collection of local obituaries for Kenosha, Wisconsin, updated regularly throughout the day with submissions from newspapers . Michael M. Bell demanded a vote of no confidence in Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian and City Administrator John Morrissey before the City Council on Monday night. Within 48 hours, Kenosha police ruled the shooting justified. Born on []. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. The testing, according to Bell in correspondence with former Police Chief Daniel Miskinis along with other evidence from the scene, such as shell casing location and slug location, civilian eyewitness testimony and the finding of lead in the indentation" suggests that the bullet that killed Michael Bell was fired from an angle different than what was described in sworn testimony by Kenosha police officers.. Wisconsin Examiner maintains editorial independence. It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Ryan Franklin Bell of Salem, Wisconsin, who passed away on March 21, 2023, at the age of 47, leaving to mourn family and friends. Born in Johnstown, PA on January 4, 1984, he was the son of the late [], Gregory Paul Roark, age 38, of Kenosha, passed away on April 12th, 2023. Duane M. Wallace ( 1947 - 2023 ) Duane Michael Wallace, age 75, passed away on Monday, April 24, 2023 at Aurora Medical Center Kenosha. She was born on June [], Robert Alan Marshall, age 67, passed away at his residence on Thursday, April 13, 2023 surrounded by his loving family. Dawn was born on April 12, 1982, in Waukegan, IL, the daughter of Daniel Ratzke and Kathy [], Donald G. Urban, Sr., 72 years old, of Pleasant Prairie, WI passed away peacefully on Monday, April 17, 2023, at Aurora Medical Center in Kenosha, WI. Albert Gonzales is the first to file papers with the Kenosha County Clerk's Office for the November 2022 sheriff's election. Vera was born in Kendall, WI [], Donald P. Kleczka, age 88, passed away on Saturday, April 22, 2023 surrounded by his loving family. Born on June 8, 1934, in [], Julia Angelos, 80, of Pleasant Prairie passed away on April 5, 2023, at Froedtert South Pleasant Prairie Hospital. Each reenactment was inconsistent with the forensic evidence. The city subsequently agreed to settle the lawsuit, paying Bell $1.75 million in 2010. The police shooting of Michael Bell was wrong. Because of the discrepancy with the original reports, he told council members, This council can no longer accept the Kenosha Police Departments version of events, as the evidence does not support it., Bell addressed Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian and John Morrissey, the city administrator: I have offered you financial indemnification to the city if you release the bullet You must do the right thing and release the bullet for outside expert analysis by June 1..
Holdco Private Equity,
Mark Elliott Flinders,
Does James Caan Have Back Issues,
Articles M