A Milwaukee police officer chased a robbery suspect and was fatally shot in a shootout early Tuesday. Police said the suspect also died of gunshot wounds.
Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said the suspect ignored officers’ orders and fled on foot after arriving at the scene of the robbery on the city’s south side around 1:15 p.m. An officer then apprehended the suspect and a struggle ensued. Both men fired their weapons.
He said the wounded officer, Peter Jarving, 37, died at the hospital. Gering had four years of experience with the Milwaukee Police Department, the chief said.
The suspect, 19-year-old Terrell Thompson, died at the scene. The chief said it was not immediately clear whether Thompson died from a bullet fired by Gering or from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Thompson was sentenced Monday to one year of probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor hit-and-run charge filed against him in July 2021, court records show.
“Milwaukee, our hearts are heavy. The hearts of the Milwaukee Police Department are heavy. My heart is heavy,” Norman told a news conference. “The violence needs to stop!”
He said the city and its police department are in mourning.
“One of our best men, who put on that uniform, put on that badge, went to work last night, has made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our community. Milwaukee, we need your prayers, we need your support.”
The chaplain of the department, George Papachristou, read a statement from Jarving’s family at a Tuesday afternoon news conference.
“It is with great sadness that we, the family of Officer Peter Gering, announce his untimely death that occurred in the line of duty,” the priest read. “Officer Peter Jarving loved and dedicated his life to serving the great people of our city. Peter fulfilled that goal till his last breath. Milwaukee has lost one of its finest young executives.”
An angry and frustrated Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said earlier in the day that not only the police, but the entire community should play an active role in trying to combat gun violence and make the city safer.
The mayor said, “The men and women of the Milwaukee Police Department, it’s not just them – it’s all of us.” “Enough is enough, enough is enough. There is no excuse for this. This officer should not die now.
Like other communities across America, gun violence has been a problem for years in the city of 569,000. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel database, 224 people were killed in the city last year, 197 in 2021 and 190 in 2020, about 90% of them shot and killed.
The city saw less than 120 murders every year from 2017 to 2019. Guns were still the weapon of choice, however, about 80% each year.
Milwaukee Common Council President Jose G. Perez said in a statement that the shooting happened a few blocks away from his home.
“We have too many guns in our city, too many who are willing to carry and use guns, and too much violence affecting every neighborhood,” he said. “We can and we must do better.”