We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Ezell interviewed Morrissey twice for the report, and writes that Morrissey stood by his claim at having completed the program in the reported time. Find the obituary of Kim Marie Bell (1958 - 2023) from Kenosha, WI. She was born May 10, 1955, [], Melissa Banda, age 34, passed away on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 surrounded by her loving family. While its not unusual for a civil lawsuit settlement to restrict the parties from discussing the matter as a condition of the deal, Bells settlement had no such condition. A 30-year-old Bristol man has been accused of numerous sex-related crimes across Kenosha County involving a minor he met online. Obituary | Kim Marie Bell of Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Bruch-Hansen "Is the prosecutor looking at the case by the facts involved or are they looking at it through the lens of a 30-year relationship (with law enforcement)," Bell said. That wrongful death lawsuit was later settled out of court, and the Bells were awarded $1.75 million. Competitive balance is coming to WIAA high school sports. Uber offering horse drawn carriage rides in honor of royal coronation. Officers said he was uncooperative and a struggle ensued in his familys driveway. That lawsuit was dismissed earlier this year. I think any time anybody provides additional material that it should be looked at, he said. Bell had hired Michael Haag, a nationally recognized ballistics expert with the Albuquerque (N.M.) Police Department, to review evidence collected from the homes garage trim, which suggested that it sustained an impact from the bullet from the shooting. In such situations, you do the best you can in the moment, he said. Walker signed the bill. Skeptical of the speed with which the police department investigated and cleared its own officers, Bell began campaigning for a new state law requiring investigations of deaths at the hands of police to be conducted by outside agencies a law that was enacted in 2014. Nevertheless, in an email message that Bell sent June 30 to dozens of Kenosha-area elected officials, Bell stated, I strongly believe, based on the findings of Allen Ezells report, that former Chief of Police John Morrissey fraudulently obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice.. That account also has placed Strausbaugh, the officer who had shouted that his gun had been seized, standing at Bells immediate right. But one shooting in Wisconsin highlights another factor at play when police shoot civilians the lack of outside investigation. But the investigator questions the pace at which Morrissey completed the curriculum for his degree 40 courses, each 72 hours, in 16 months. If that dent could be linked to the bullet that killed his son, Bell says, it would support his scenario for the shooting: that the bullet was fired in the direction of the garage. Vera was born in Kendall, WI [], Donald P. Kleczka, age 88, passed away on Saturday, April 22, 2023 surrounded by his loving family. Michael Bell on one of the many billboards his father bought to draw attention to internal police investigations after his son was fatally shot by Kenosha police in 2004. A 43-year-old Racine man is facing numerous criminal charges after allegedly attempting to flee from Kenosha County Sheriffs Department deput. The document appears to indicate that Morrissey completed the 40 courses for his degree over a 16-month period a pace that both Beckman and Bell found unbelievable. Bell says the family was in shock as they went through the difficult grieving process and were trying to make funeral arrangements, so he cautioned patience. Bell had asked that he be allowed access to the bullet that killed his son about 17 years ago outside the garage at his home on the citys south side for further investigation and analysis. City officials expect tens of thousands of people from across the area to take part in Independence Day festivities the week of July 4. They could have come back and said, Why did that error occur?, Because thats never happened, he said, Theres an ongoing lie thats still going on regarding my child., by Erik Gunn, Wisconsin Examiner August 11, 2022. Sometimes you misinterpret something. Video: Kenosha police save driver after minivan bursts into flames, Instagram mom convicted for fabricating story about kids' kidnapping, Rare images captured of butterflies taking flight after emerging from chrysalis, Ride like royalty! Numerous armed officers were present when they pinned an unarmed Michael against a vehicle in his driveway and fatally shot him in the head. Bell who is called Mitchell Smith in the book sued Gonzalez for libel for inventing a quote attributed to Smith that implied he was seeking vengeance against Gonzalez. Browse Kenosha News obituaries, conduct other obituary searches, offer condolences/tributes, send flowers or create an online memorial. If Gonzalez was standing between Strausbaugh and Bells son, then he should have realized that the younger Bell could not have grabbed Strausbaughs weapon, they contend and so there was no need for Gonzalez to shoot. Born in Milo, IA on June 20, 1947, he was the son of [], Susan Burke, 68, of Kenosha passed away on April 23, 2023, surrounded by her loving family. Daniel Gaitan. Bell's father, Michael Sr., says he'll never forget the phone call he received on the night of Nov. 9, 2004, from his oldest daughter. Because of the discrepancy with the original reports, he told council members, This council can no longer accept the Kenosha Police Departments version of events, as the evidence does not support it., Bell addressed Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian and John Morrissey, the city administrator: I have offered you financial indemnification to the city if you release the bullet You must do the right thing and release the bullet for outside expert analysis by June 1.. You can cancel at any time. Along with a retired Kenosha police detective named Russell Beckman, Bell Sr. has continued searching for an avenue to hold Gonzalesaccountable. "I presume their investigator will review the submission and again make a recommendation on whether the board should further review. hide caption. After police in Kenosha, Wis., shot my 21-year-old son to death outside his house ten years ago . Michael E. Bell Wisconsin Department Of Justice Jacob Blake Shooting Van Wanggaard Lena Taylor Senate Judiciary And Public Safety Committee 21st Senate District National Transportation Safety. You can cancel at any time. Community members collaborate to repaint Nifty Thrifty Resale Shop, Katy Perry loses name trademark battle, James Corden signs off The Late Late Show, and more celeb news. Wisconsin eviction process: What happens to a tenants property? He has filed documents seeking to question not just OLR officials but also state DOJ personnel, questioning statements that the DA had made about his communication with the crime lab analysts. Kim Marie Bell, 64, formerly of Kenosha, late of Milwaukee, passed away peacefully, Sunday, February 12, 2023 at her residence. Please subscribe to keep reading. He said the shooting of Bell Jr. in 2004 is "all in the past. Suit seeking access to bullet in 2004 Michael E. Bell shooting by Kenosha police dismissed. On November 9, 2004, a Kenosha police officer shot Michael Bell in the head one day before Michael was to testify at a court hearing regarding a previous incident with the same officer who stopped him this last fatal time. Gonzales was one of four Kenosha officers involved in the 2004 killing of Michael Bell Jr., who he shotin the head. died April 9, 2023. MUZZLE STAMP. Morrissey denied that accusation when he spoke with an investigator who Bell hired in an effort to verify whether the transcript was accurate. 0:08. They took out ads in the New York Times, in USA Today and on radio and created TV commercials. According to documents in his city personnel file, Morrissey fulfilled requirements for his degree by taking correspondence courses. The Office of Lawyer Regulation in May wrote to Beckman saying there was insufficient evidence to support an allegation of misconduct. A man is in custody after a Kenosha woman interrupted an attempted attack on a teenage girl early Sunday at their home in 6400 block of 22nd A, PLEASANT PRAIRIE Village police arrested a 32-year-old Illinois man wanted in an alleged attempt to run over an Illinois officer with a stol, SALEM The Monday evening Community Library Board of Trustees meeting was packed with area residents voicing support and criticism of some of. "I finally made a decision that we're never going to get to the truth of the matter, unless we bring in our own personal investigators," he says. And then she told me it was by a police officer," Bell says. Anatomy of a Police Cover-Up," which explores continuing questions about the 2004 fatal shooting of Michael E. Bell, 21, by Kenosha . A retired Kenosha police detective, Russell Beckman, who has been aiding Bell as a volunteer since 2012, developed a theory about what happened that has become part of Bells argument. On Monday, Bell doubled down and demanded the bullet be available for further analysis. Michael M. Bell's son was killed in the driveway of his mother's home the elder Bell's ex-wife. It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Ryan Franklin Bell of Salem, Wisconsin, who passed away on March 21, 2023, at the age of 47, leaving to mourn family and friends. Duane M. Wallace ( 1947 - 2023 ) Duane Michael Wallace, age 75, passed away on Monday, April 24, 2023 at Aurora Medical Center Kenosha. Bell files civil lawsuit against police officer - Kenosha News The suit also named Kenoshas city-county Joint Services, which currently has custody of the bullet. The Kenosha police officer who was the subject of a $1.75 million wrongful death settlement is running for sheriff as an office of the Wisconsin Supreme Court considers the conduct of thecounty district attorney. The location of entrance and exit wounds on Michaels body contradicts the police statements. The younger Bell was killed by police following a traffic stop on Nov. 9, 2004. A police officer who, according to a police report chose to follow Bell after observing his driving, arrived shortly after. City Attorney Ed Antaramian on Friday said he could not comment at length on the matter. Citizens in Kenosha can no longer remain quiet, and the public must know all about the many problems in this case and the refusal of city administration to address these problems.. The Kenosha mayors only response was to send the Examiner a four-page table of investigations, reports and public statements, with summaries for each item that concluded there were no grounds for reopening the matter. Man whose son was killed by Kenosha cops in 2004 reacts to Jacob Blake "So we hired an investigative consultant who teamed up with a retired Kenosha police detective.". [], Lois Annette Travor, age 79, passed away at her residence on Sunday, April 2, 2023 surrounded by her loving family. We agree with the court that it was not a justiciable controversy, Antaramian said. Kenosha Obituaries | Local Obits for Kenosha, WI Josephine Josie Perez, went home to Jesus on Tuesday, April 4, 2023 at her residence, Woods of Caledonia Assisted Living; she was 76. "It wasn't until later that we realized just how little of an investigation had been done," Barton says. Mar 22, 2022. Michael M. Bell demanded a vote of no confidence in Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian and City Administrator John Morrissey before the City Council on Monday night . Two lawsuits that Bell filed one demanding that the city release the bullet that killed his son, the other accusing the officer who killed his son of libel have been dismissed; those rulings are on appeal. The Wisconsin Examiner has several times sought an interview with Antaramian about Bells claims and accusations. On November 9, 2004, a Kenosha police officer shot Michael Bell in the head one day before Michael was to testify at a court hearing regarding a previous incident with the same officer who stopped him this last fatal time. Beckman and Bell believe that Strausbaughs holster might have been snagged on the cars side view mirror. Recent Obituaries; Find an Obituary; Archives; Opinion. The decision that is being appealed is that the Board would take no action on the complaint filed. "It is the truth, I am running for sheriff,"Gonzales said. Born in Milo, IA on June 20, 1947, he was the . Bell's father, Michael Bell Sr., hired his own investigators, who discovered considerable inconsistencies with the police account. Because his sons car had been parked against the garage the new evidence in the trim had not been readily visible until after it was moved as his ex-wife had sold the home. Michael M. Bell demanded a vote of no confidence in Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian and City Administrator John Morrissey before the City Council on Monday night. In the nearly 17 years since 21-year-old Michael E. Bell was shot and killed by Kenosha, Wisconsin, police in front of his home, his father, Michael M. Bell Sr. has made it his life's work to . TIMOTHY BELL OBITUARY Timothy Bell Timothy "Tim" Bell, Professor Emeritus U.W. Forensic evidence contradicts police claims of events. 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What really happened the night Michael Bell's son died? documentary video says the pattern of the blood also supports the conclusion that his son was shot on the right side rather than the left. Graveley denied the request. Bell believes Haags examination of the bullet would uncover more evidence toward an accurate portrayal of how his sons death unfolded. Suit seeking access to bullet in 2004 Michael E. Bell shooting by The investigation showed that the actions of the officers were reasonable, appropriate and well within Kenosha Police Department policy, procedure, and training. Still, Ezells report concludes that Morrissey did appear on paper to be a graduate of the program. The grievance alleges Graveley acted with dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation in his decision not to launch the investigation. Were going toIm going to ask the mayor to either release the bullet or step down as mayor of Kenosha, he said. We think (Kerkman) was right.. "The platform I'm going to have is what I'm running for. Maybe the city is worried about future litigation instead of what is just and right., Bell asked the City Council if Antaramian and Morrissey, the former police chief, are controlling a bullet the will implicate them in a crime., I believe they are deliberately stalling the discovery of evidence to avoid prosecution for their role in a police murder, Bell said. Bell timed the ads to run when the eyes of much of the world were on Kenosha because of the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, who shot and killed two people and wounded a third in August 2020 during the unrest that followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake. An unarmed Michael Bell Jr. was shot and killed by Kenosha police officers in front of his parents' home in 2004. Beckman filed a 107-page appealon July 12, and on July 20, the office said it would "further review" the grievance. Michael . "By running for sheriff I can bring a new perspective to the table and continue the growth of this county.". At this point, Bell was up against the hood of a car parked in the driveway. Contact Elliot Hughes at elliot.hughes@jrn.com or 414-704-8958. Bell filed a lawsuit in September 2021 demanding the bullet. Barton says Bell's mother and sister, who were watching the altercation unfold, heard the officer as well and they tried to yell that Michael Bell did not have the officer's gun. Born in Marano Principato Province of Cosenza, Italy on September 24, 1948, he [], David L. Webster, age 67, of Twin Lakes, WI, died on Sunday, April 16, 2023 at Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa, WI. Another tick-borne disease is on the rise in the U.S. New Bell documentary released Michael Bell Jr. KENOSHA -- On the anniversary of his son's death, Michael Bell said he hopes a new documentary will get the case reopened. In 2019, Racine County Circuit Judge Timothy Boyle rejected Bells petition. Thats important, the elder Bell says, because it calls into question the assumption that the officers at the scene were in danger. Courtesy of the Bell family He doesnt dispute that the incident itself was tense and heated and emotions were running high. In 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, killing all seven crew members, including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. The Kenosha Police Department gave sworn statements to justify their conduct that are unsupported by the physical evidence. Bell had hired Michael Haag, a nationally recognized ballistics expert with the Albuquerque Police Department, to review evidence collected from the homes garage trim, which suggested that it sustained an impact from the bullet from the shooting. He was a TV news anchor. The law they put forth would make Wisconsin the first state in the nation to mandate, on the legislative level, that if an officer was involved with a loss of life, that outside investigators must come in and collect the data and investigate that shooting. In 2017, Bell met with Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley and asked for a new investigation. Each reenactment was inconsistent with the forensic evidence. "And I just I figured it might've been shot in the leg or shot in the arm but I came to find out that an officer placed a gun directly to my son's temple and took his life.". And is it really proper for the police to be policing themselves?" In Wisconsin, A Decade-Old Police Shooting Leads To New Law In 2011, chaos engulfed Egypt as protesters seized the streets of Cairo, battling police, burning down the ruling partys headquarters and defying a military curfew. It was dismissed by Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Chad Kerkman on Thursday. Continue to article content. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. 2023 www.jsonline.com. Ezells report also notes that Morrissey was unable to recall any of the people who proctored his exams, although the colleges practice was for students to enlist exam proctors in their community or among people they knew. Im planning on running those not only regionally but also on some high-profile events.. Bell had asked that he be allowed access to the bullet that killed Michael E. Bell Jr. about 17 years ago outside the garage at his home on the citys south side for further investigation and analysis. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Adults, she entertained with stories and impressions, many not suitable for [], Raymond Boske, 53, of Racine, WI, passed away on April 10, 2023, at his home. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Kenosha police arrest man after mother interrupts attempted attack on teen in home, One of the top U.S. Netflix shows right now has a Wisconsin connection, UPDATED WITH VIDEO: Suspect wanted in attempt to run over officer with vehicle in Illinois arrested after crashing, then climbing 40 feet up tree in Pleasant Prairie, Community Library Board meeting draws crowd of supporters, critics, City of Kenosha approves Independence Day festivities; thousands expected to turn out, Kenosha man charged after allegedly entering stranger's home and assaulting girl Sunday morning, Van crashes through former Kenosha Bed Bath & Beyond store; no injuries, according to police, Kenosha Police identify early Sunday homicide victim; investigation continues, Bristol man accused of child enticement, assault and possessing child pornography, Morgan Wallen fans upset about abrupt concert cancellation. So far, Bells campaign has generated full-page newspaper ads and TV spots, but otherwise nothing but roadblocks. Bell's family won a $1.75 million wrongful death settlement from the city, and Bell's father, also named Michael M. Bell, has been pursuing legal action in the death ever since while also pushing for changes in the way police shootings are investigated. Bell bought every available billboard in Milwaukee with slogans like: "When Police Kill, Should They Judge Themselves?". In 1916, Louis D. Brandeis was nominated by President Woodrow Wilson to the Supreme Court; Brandeis became the courts first Jewish member. Photo courtesy of the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department. After the younger Bells death, the autopsy report identified the bullet entrance wound on the right side of his head, with the exit wound toward the back of his head on the left side. In a January deposition for the libel lawsuit, Gonzalez told Bells lawyer the fifth officers full name. Andrew Cuomos administration confirmed that thousands more nursing home residents died of COVID-19 than the states official tallies had previously acknowledged. It wasn't until later that we realized just how little of an investigation had been done. The city denied his request, citing reports from the Kenosha County Sheriffs Department and the state Division of Criminal Investigation in DOJ that they found no indication of the dent in reports or photos taken at the time of the shooting in 2004. That computer-generated document lists the same courses and grades as the version that is in Morrisseys personnel file, but does not indicate when the courses were taken. 0:43. Bell has been seeking to gain access to the bullet that killed his son, Michael E. Bell Jr., outside his Kenosha home in 2004 for outside examination. Bell was back in front of the city council in July with another citizen comment this time directed at the city administrator, John Morrissey. Kenosha.com has partnered with local funeral homes to provide up to date and comprehensive obituary listings at no cost to families. Bell timed the ads to run when the eyes of much of the world were on Kenosha because of the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, who shot and killed two people and wounded a third in August 2020 during the unrest that followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake. 2023. Elliot Hughes. Morrissey had Kaplan, now part of Purdue University, send Ezell an official transcript. she says. 13 years later: Documentary gives father of man shot by Kenosha police He had been a Kenosha police officer for two decades before being promoted to chief. And in the years since the settlement, he has continued to challenge the original account of his sons death, enlisting private investigators to dig into the details and publicly airing his criticisms of the investigation, the police department and the Kenosha city government.