Slain Milwaukee Officer Identified, Details Emerge About Shooting
Officers repeatedly announced themselves as police and when they tried to breach the door, the suspect fired several shots, Police Chief Alfonso Morales said.
The Milwaukee tactical officer killed Wednesday has been identified as Officer Matthew Rittner, 35.
The department's Tactical Enforcement Unit arrived with a warrant to search a home in the 2900 block of South 12th Street at 9:17 a.m. Wednesday.
Officers repeatedly announced themselves as police and when they tried to breach the door, the suspect fired several shots, Police Chief Alfonso Morales said.
Three law enforcement sources have told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the officer was shot with a rifle. Two of those sources said the officer was shot through a door.
Rittner, who served in the Marines in Iraq, was a 17-year department veteran and a member of the Tactical Enforcement Unit. He received several commendations for his work on the unit, including rescuing hostages held at gunpoint. He was married with a young son.
Milwaukee Police said the suspect in Rittner's murder is 26-year-old Jordan P. Fricke of Milwaukee. He was taken into custody at the scene.
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