Video shows harrowing moment Milwaukee man opens fire inside police station

Police in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, recently released video footage of the moment a distressed man opened fire in the lobby of the police department's District 5 station earlier this year.

What happened?

The suspect, 23-year-old Darreon Parker-Bell, reportedly spoke with officers briefly before pulling out a gun and beginning to fire shots and officers and other staff with members of the community nearby. Amazingly, no one was injured in the initial shooting.

Parker-Bell then fled the scene on foot with officers chasing behind him. Roughly two blocks down the road, he encountered more police officers who repeatedly asked him to put down his weapon and surrender. When he refused and allegedly pointed a gun toward them, they opened fire, striking him multiple times and injuring him.

Officers treated him on the scene before he was transported to the hospital.

Parker-Bell has since been arrested and charged with eight counts, including attempted first-degree intentional homicide, WITI-TV reported. He is also being held on a $500,000 bond.

Milwaukee Police Department - Community Briefing February 25, 2022, Officer Involved Shootingwww.youtube.com

What's the background?

The incident occurred on Feb. 25. Parker-Bell had reportedly come to the station to inquire about the in-custody death of his friend, 20-year-old Keishon D. Thomas, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Thomas had been pulled over and taken into custody on Feb. 23 after officers discovered there was a warrant out for his arrest for failing to appear at a court hearing in 2021. Roughly 16 hours later, Thomas died in his holding cell despite life-saving efforts from officers.

Police believe that Thomas ingested a fatal dose of an unidentified white substance during the traffic stop. Officers said he refused to go to the hospital so they placed him in a cell. The three officers who were involved have been placed on full suspension pending toxicology reports.

What else?

Speaking with the Journal-Sentinel following the incident, Parker-Bell's former girlfriend, Angel Harrell, said he reached a "breaking point" after Thomas' death.

She added that her partner of two years was devastated by the deaths of at least three relatives over the past year and had started making statements that she interpreted as suicidal.

"I’m not saying that he did right, because I’m very angry with how he handled it, but he wasn’t in the right state of mind," Harrell explained. "He wasn’t. He couldn’t keep taking that heartbreak."