Milwaukee police shooting on I-43; family of teen speaks with FOX6
MILWAUKEE - FOX6 News has an update on one of the people shot Thursday, June 20 after a police chase on I-43. That chase happened after a carjacking near downtown Milwaukee.
Family members tell FOX6 News that 18-year-old Ashley Patterson is still alive, but she did lose her baby after being shot.
Police say there were six people, including four teenagers, in a stolen SUV. Officers went after them just before 2:30 p.m. Thursday after a report of a carjacking and an attempted carjacking earlier in the day near downtown Milwaukee.
The chase came to an end on I-43 after the SUV was blocked by a cement truck in the construction zone. That is when police say the driver of the SUV started backing into one of the squad cars. Police then opened fire – hitting two people in the SUV.
Patterson, who family members tell FOX6 News was six months pregnant, was in the passenger seat of the SUV and one of the two people hit by police gunfire. Those family members did not want to go on camera Friday, but they say Patterson is now on a ventilator. They say she was shot in the esophagus and some fragments hit her face. They also say the stress on Patterson's body resulted in an emergency C-section – and the death of her unborn daughter.
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Also in the car was Patterson's 15-year-old cousin, who is also in custody.
Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman sounded off in a news conference Thursday about the responsibility of parents.
"Parents, what’s going on with your children?" Norman asked.
Patterson's family tells FOX6 News they did not agree with blaming parents. They say Patterson was not raised bad, but once she hit a certain age and started hanging out with the wrong people, she made her own decisions. They say they are not condoning her behavior. Right now, they want her to pull through.
FOX6 News did reach out to police for confirmation on some of the information provided by Patterson's family. We have not heard back.
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The West Allis Police Department is taking over this case because it was a police shooting. That is standard protocol.
