After almost a decade, a federal jury has ruled that the city of Milwaukee must pay $2 million to Joseph Walker, a man who was shot in the back by police in 2014.
Walker had filed a lawsuit against the city, the Milwaukee Police Department, and several officers involved in the shooting. The incident occurred when police responded to a call during Walker’s mental health crisis. The officers believed Walker had a gun and used force, shooting him in the back on his own front porch. Despite the lawsuit, Walker denies ever having a weapon.
The jury awarded him $1 million for an excessive force claim and an additional $1 million for the officers’ failure to intervene. Walker’s attorneys, Samantha Baker and Emil Ovbiagele, expressed their satisfaction with the verdict and highlighted Walker’s advocacy for his own case. Baker stated, “Mr. Walker was shot in the back, on his own front porch, surrounded by 17 or so Milwaukee police officers,” adding that the outcome made them dig into the case to understand what went wrong and why this injustice was served upon him. Ovbiagele emphasized their commitment to leaving no stone unturned in seeking justice for Mr. Walker.