Family Says Man In Officer Involved Shooting Was Blind

MILWAUKEE, WI — A Milwaukee man who lost his eyesight due to diabetes was the man fatally shot by police over Labor Day weekend.

According to media reports, Antwon Springer, 27, fired his gun into the air to break up a fight on his front lawn. Family told WSAU that Springer had no idea police were in the area, and fired his gun straight into the air to break the apparent fight up.

"He literally stepped out just to say 'pow, pow -- get away from house!`'You have 40 to 50 people chaotically fighting on your lawn. What would you do?" Angel Lewis, Springer's cousin said, in a FOX 6 story.

In a message out to Wauwatosa police, who are heading up the investigation into the officer-involved shooting, officials stated they had no knowledge whether Springer was blind.

Springer had been charged with misdemeanor battery in 2011, but those charges were dismissed. He was convicted of driving a vehicle without the owner's consent in 1999.

The Incident

According to Milwaukee police, officers were called to the neighborhood near 39th and Congress St. in Milwaukee Sunday at about 10 p.m. on a report of gunshots fired and a large fight with multiple suspects in the area.

When police arrived, they learned that a man, later identified as Springer, fired a gun in the neighborhood as officers were conducting their investigation and gaining control of the fight scene in the area.

Police say Springer became embroiled in a confrontation with police-leading the man to be shot and killed by officers.

There's around 50 police officers on 39th & Congress following a deadly officer-involved shooting. pic.twitter.com/2wWkvlaXSF
— Ben Jordan (@BenJordan3) September" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/BenJordan3... 4, 2017

It was not clear from police reports how far the confrontation escalation or Springer's specific actions leading to the officer-involved shooting.

He died at the scene after life-saving measures by the Milwaukee fire department were not successful.

Wauwatosa police are conducting the investigation into this incident. According to police, the two police officers who fired shots during the incident have been placed on administrative duty - which is a department policy.

The officers involved in the shooting were reported as a 24-year-old man and a 26-year-old man with two-and-a-half and five years of experience respectively.

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image via shutterstock.com