Milwaukee police officer Kendall Corder dies following shooting: 'We are all in pain.'

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2 days ago

Kendall Corder loved being a Milwaukee police officer.
That's what the family of the slain 32-year-old officer wanted the public to know of their son who died nearly three days after he and his partner were shot. The two, both six-year veterans of the department, were unexpectedly fired upon in an alleyway on the city's northwest side on June 26 while responding to a call for a person with a weapon.
'He died doing what he loved to do,' said Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson at a press conference. 'It's admirable.'
Johnson spoke near Froedtert Hospital on June 29, alongside Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman and Alex Ayala, president of the department's union for rank-and-file officers.
Corder's family asked Norman to share the sentiment that he loved his work and was proud of being a member of the department, the police chief said. They thanked the public for prayers, he said.
"We have lost someone who loved his career, who looked forward to being part of the work to impact public safety in our community," Norman said.
The three did not take questions. The procession taking Corder's body to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's office downtown began around 6:11 p.m.
As the procession began, officers could be seen with tears in their eyes, as a stream of police vehicles left Froedtert Hospital. In downtown Milwaukee, two fire trucks hung an American flag from their extended ladders at the corner of State Street and 9th Street, as officers and paramedics lined the streets.
The procession arrived about 20 minutes later with a wail of sirens. About 80 uniformed officers lined both sides of State Street, tracking the path Corder would take into the office. Five officers in dress attire stood by the door holding flags for the city, state and the United States.
'At this moment, we are all in pain,' Norman said, and he asked for prayers for the department's officers.
Residents lingered near the medical examiner's office to pay their respects.
Terry Hale didn't know Corder personally, but he recognized him from the officer's work as a cop in the district. The two met once at a gas station, and another time at a restaurant.
"It's on my heart," Hale said. "It's a shame that we continually have to go through this stuff."
Milwaukee police arrested 22-year-old Tremaine Jones on June 27 in the shooting that injured Corder and officer Christopher McCray, who left the hospital on June 28.
The Milwaukee Police Department did not identify Jones in a June 27 statement announcing a suspect's arrest, but two sources confirmed the name to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and he was listed in a police booking log. Jones is listed as in jail on about $200,000 bail, according to the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office jail roster.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel typically does not name suspects who have not been charged with a crime unless they are a public figure. The news organization is naming the suspect in this case because of the high-profile nature of the incident.
Corder is the sixth Milwaukee officer shot and killed since 2018, and the first to die in duty since Officer Peter Jerving, who was shot and killed in 2023.
The police shooting is at least the third time an officer has been shot in Milwaukee this year. Another officer was shot earlier this month.
Corder's death comes after a June 26 shooting near an alley in the 2200 block of North 24th Place around 9:22 p.m. A Milwaukee Police Department spokesperson said officers arrested a suspect without issue at about 2:15 a.m. the next morning.
The shooting occurred as the two officers were responding to a report of a suspect firing shots near the area of North 25th Street and West Garfield Avenue. As they approached the alleyway, police said "they were unexpectedly fired upon."
Corder and McCray were unable to return fire, police said.
Megan Hart, a dispatcher with the Department of Emergency Communications, watched as the processions arrived at the medical examiner's office. She said that her second-shift crew was on duty when the shooting happened.
"We're all just feeling a huge sense of loss and grief," said Hart. "All we want to do is bring them home safe every day."
The Milwaukee Police Association, the union for the department's rank-and-file officers, described the shooting as an "ambush." In a June 29 statement on Corder's death, the union said the two officers were responding to a domestic violence-related call when they were shot.
The union said Corder suffered several gunshot wounds to his upper arm, and at least one round struck his chest and caused "severe internal injuries, including to his heart." He went through surgery, the union said.
McCray had injuries to his foot and back, the union said. He left the hospital two days after the shooting and was greeted by about 50 fellow officers who applauded as he exited.
The shooting won't deter officers, the union president Ayala said during the press conference.'Rest assured, they will put on the badge tonight, tomorrow and in the coming weeks, days and years to come to protect the citizens of the city of Milwaukee,' he said.
The procession ended around 7 p.m. at the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office. Police officers huddled near their police chief, as he stood beside the Corder family. He told his officers to support the family who lost a man who loved what he did and died doing it.
"Do not let anyone use anything but the love of each other to support us through these tough times," Norman said.
David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee police officer dies following shooting