Parents of Milwaukee teen in police shooting on I-43, chase tried to help

Lina Portman1 week ago

16 5 minutes read

The father of one of two teenagers shot and killed by a Milwaukee police officer on Interstate 43 last week expressed a complex mix of emotions about the incident in an interview this weekend.

Puzzled as to why an officer repeatedly shot at an SUV full of teenagers in a busy construction zone. Frustration with Milwaukee police chief's statements blaming teens' parents. Helpless over the situation, after struggling to figure out how to help his son, who he believes has been involved in car theft for a few years.

Calveyon A. Jeans and his girlfriend, Ashley Z. Patterson, were shot and injured last Thursday on a construction lane on I-43 after a police pursuit of the SUV driven by Jeans ended when they was blocked by a cement truck. Patterson was six months pregnant, Jean's mother told the Journal Sentinel. The pregnancy ended due to the injuries she suffered in the police shooting.

A 25-year-old Milwaukee police officer shot the teens after the SUV backed into a police car, drove forward and then reversed, while an officer was behind the vehicle, police said.

Police say the SUV was used in an attempted carjacking and armed robbery of other vehicles earlier in the day downtown.

Four of the six teenagers in the SUV, aged 15 to 18, now face criminal charges in Milwaukee County Circuit Court stemming from the carjackings and police chase. Jeans, 17, was charged Tuesday with nine felonies, including attempted armed robbery, armed robbery and fleeing a police officer while operating a motor vehicle. Jeans was charged as a party to the crime on each of the theft charges, as he is not accused of directly committing the thefts, but of contributing to them.

An investigation into the police shooting remains ongoing.

Jeans has been involved in groups that steal cars, has been involved in other carjackings and has appeared in juvenile court in recent years, his father, Calvin Jeans, told the Journal Sentinel Saturday. Calvin said he noticed his son starting to get in trouble with law enforcement in 2020, after Calveyon's stepfather was shot and killed in a homicide.

Calvin tried to help his son, he said, even going so far as to report him to the police, but he expressed not knowing how to help him change his behavior.

“I broke the law of the street trying to apprehend my son and get him to safety, just knowing how these situations escalate and one day they put him in handcuffs, (and) you're going to do -take him out of the neighborhood. One day you pick him up at the detention center,” Calvin said. “Now it’s like I’ll even have to go pick him up at the morgue.”

While he doesn't blame the justice system, Calvin said his son often received a “slap on the wrist” that didn't help him change his behavior. He disputed the police chief's comments at a news conference last week, calling on parents to monitor their children.

“We are parents who called the police and reported our child,” Calvin said. “This takes place over a period of three years and back and forth with the juvenile courts and with the investigators and you all tell us you can't keep him, you all have to release him after committing a carjacking .”

Calvin and Calveyon's mother tried to make their son understand that his actions had consequences, they said. But as parents of an older teenager, they say there's not much they can do.

“These are kids who come from good homes, and here they are making bad choices,” said their mother Nakia Moore. “Do you think it's not every day that I don't tell my son what's right and what's wrong? I am, I am. All I can do is pray that he follows what I say…You can only discipline them to a certain extent.”

Both parents said they felt like their son was starting to understand and take steps in a better direction over the past few months. He was looking forward to becoming a father, Calvin said, and wanted to “get his life on track” for the baby's arrival.

Everything has changed now.

Moore said her main concern now is ensuring her son receives the appropriate medical treatment while incarcerated, pending the outcome of his charges. Calveyon was hit in the hand, wrist and jaw, his father said.

Calveyon already suffers from paralysis in one leg following a car accident he was involved in two years ago, his father said. He also has to deal with the consequences of what happened, including the loss of his child, his mother said.

“It’s very traumatic,” Moore said. “He's depressed about it. … He's very emotional and he's in a lot of pain.”

Calveyon's parents also have questions about what happened before the police chase and shooting.

Moore questions whether the officer could have taken action other than deadly force.

“If it’s justifiable, tell me how,” she said. “Was this overreach really necessary? I just want this case to be investigated the right way, for the questions to be answered and to make sense.”

The Milwaukee Police Department's use of force policy addresses the discharge of firearms into moving vehicles. Police officers are prohibited from shooting at moving vehicles “unless deadly physical force is used against the officer or another person by means other than a moving vehicle” and “the risks are outweighed by the need to use deadly force.”

The questions come as the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression called on Milwaukee police to release video footage of the shooting and the moments leading up to it.

“Who can say if anyone will ever see these images, if the families will ever have a reliable account,” said Aurelia Ceja, co-chair of the group.

The Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission approved a new policy in April that would require police to release footage of “critical incidents” within 15 days. However, a Milwaukee County judge temporarily blocked the policy from going into effect. Instead, police aim to release the footage within 45 days.

Ceja questioned the officer's decision to open fire, calling it dangerous.

“What is the justification for their presence in this situation? » she asked. “That doesn't seem like an appropriate response. It appears no one else in this situation pulled out a gun. »

In the complaint filed against Jeans, police allege he was driving recklessly during the police chase, forcing vehicles off the road and nearly hitting a pedestrian. The complaint alleges that Jeans struck a vehicle on the highway, passed vehicles on the shoulder and reached speeds of up to 80 miles per hour before heading toward the construction lane, where the chase ended. later ended at the cement truck, with police drawing their guns and ordering people out of the SUV.

Patterson, the pregnant woman who was shot, was still in the hospital Tuesday, West Allis Deputy Police Chief Robert Fletcher said in an email. There was no update on her condition, but she suffered life-threatening injuries as a result of the shooting.

Patterson, who turns 19 on Thursday, also faces two criminal charges and a misdemeanor in connection with last Thursday's carjackings. She is not accused of having directly committed the crimes but rather of having participated in them.

The officer who fired the shot was placed on administrative assignment, per department policy. The West Allis Police Department is the lead agency in the investigation. Fletcher said the police department will not release the officer's name until the case is concluded.

Calvin said he blames his son for the current situation, but he also blames the police officer who shot him and his son's girlfriend.

“This is a police officer who doesn’t care about human life,” he said, also pointing to nearby construction workers. “It could have been more deadly than what we got.”

Where to find help

The Milwaukee Office of Community Wellness and Safety recommends these resources for free assistance:

414Life Outreach and conflict mediation support: 414-439-5525.

Milwaukee County Mental Health Crisis Line, open 24 hours a day: 414-257-7222.

Milwaukee Children's Mobile Crisis and Trauma Response Team: 414-257-7621.

National Crisis Text Line: Text HOPELINE to 741741 to text a trained crisis counselor.

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-8255.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233.

Where to find help

Lina Portman

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