Family of Elijah Wilks, Killed by Milwaukee Police, Says Shooting Was ‘Justified’
Family of Elijah Wilks, Killed by Milwaukee Police, Says Shooting Was ‘Justified’
Days after the family of a man shot and killed by an off-duty police officer called it justified, the man’s family is now calling for footage of the incident to be released early to “quell misinformation” surrounding the death of their son.
The ask, made Oct. 12 by the man’s mother Pamela Bonslater and attorney B’Ivory LaMarr comes as a video of the shooting and killing of 26-year-old Elijah Wilks on Oct. 9 began to spread on social media over the weekend.
The grainy video, which appears to be from a camera across the street from the scene of the shooting near West Mill Road and North 47th Street, shows the off-duty officer and Wilks approach one another. They then quicky move apart and the officers appears to shoot at Wilks.
It is difficult to determine what specifically happens between the two men due to the quality of the video.
The video is prompting public speculation over the shooting, which the family and police have said occurred following a minor car accident, followed by Wilks striking the officer with a gun and pointing it at him.
The Milwaukee Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the family’s ask for footage to be released early.
“The vantage point and resolution of the official dashcam video answers every question,” said family attorney B’Ivory LaMarr in an Oct. 13 news release. “The Wilks family has seen the truth for themselves. Now they want the public to see it too. They are choosing truth over rumor — transparency over division.”
Wilks’ mother and LaMarr reviewed footage with police on Oct. 10. and held a news conference later that day. At that press conference, the family initially asked for footage not to be released until 15 days have passed, the maximum time allowed under department policy.
“This is not just about one case,” LaMarr said in the release. “It’s about restoring public faith in law enforcement and ensuring that accountability is applied equally — whether it’s a citizen or an officer. Accountability and empathy can coexist. The Wilks family is proving that.”
At the press conference detailing the shooting, LaMarr said it was unclear whether or not an exchange of gunfire occurred or what was said between the two men. Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said the men traded gunfire.
The West Allis Police Department is leading the investigation into the shooting.
David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at [email protected].
