Press Conference Regarding Jay Anderson’s Murder by Wauwatosa WI Police Held December 5th 2016 (Full)

Footage shot on December 5th of the press conference held regarding Jay Anderson’s case. The 25 year old was shot by Wauwatosa Officer Joseph Mensah. Many questions continue to linger over the suspicious killing, and residents haven’t stopped asking.

For five months, the department dodged answering those questions. Open records requests were delayed, phone calls ignored, and protests held in support of Anderson’s family contained. At one point, SWAT teams were deployed for a protest inside a Wauwatosa mall numbering around 200.

Since then, the family has reported wide spread harassment and electronic surveillance which they feel is conducted by WPD. For most of this time,WPD refused to publicly link Mensah with the shooting. No press conference was held by WPD Chief Barry Weber until the District Attorney ruled no charges against the officer.

Mensah claims he shot after seeing a gun in Anderson’s car. No pictures were taken of the gun at the scene and, despite declaring Anderson dead at the scene, officer removed the gun from the car. Anderson’s family claims the prints of several officers appear on the weapon due to officers removing the gun upon arriving for backup. Additionally, around 8 minutes of footage was reported as “missing” from that night’s interaction.

When questioned on why the gun was removed, WPD claimed they weren’t sure if Anderson was a threat still. Jay Anderson was shot several times in the head, and was alone with Mensah for several minutes. Back up took a long time to arrive, and reports indicate Anderson already sat at the park for two hours. Taking all this into account, the notion that officers weren’t sure if he was alone, or a threat, is nonsensical.

Federal prosecutors are currently investigating the case further. This doesn’t put the family, or community, at ease with Mensah back patrolling. According to Linda Anderson, Jay’s mother, the late father’s fiance recently saw Mensah driving in a squad by himself. Mensah was also alone the night he shot Anderson, why is unclear. Anderson’s family fear Mensah is a ticking time bomb poised to claim his third life since coming to Tosa in 2015.

This press conference was held the night no charges were filed against Mensah. Cop Block writers have followed the case thoroughly, and maintain contact with the family. The footage shot by contributors that night crucially shows what news stations cut out from that night’s coverage.