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More Information on Fatal Squad Car Shooting

Nov. 8, 2023 8:25a

(WGTD)---An explanation has been made public on just how it was that a handcuffed man was able to shoot himself in the head while in the back of a Pleasant Prairie squad car last summer.

It comes in a letter from Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley to village police chief Dave Smetana. In the letter, Graveley, after examining a report from the investigative agency that looked into the matter, ruled that criminal charges weren’t warranted against the two officers who’d been in the squad.

Graveley reveals that a video camera that was trained on the back seat captured much of what happened. The video shows the man—Jacob Albright—handcuffed behind his back--squirming and laying down on the seat. At one point, a handgun is visible. And a short while later, a loud pop is heard and it’s clear that Albright had shot himself in the head. The gun apparently had been in Albright’s rear waist band area.

The officers explained that their intention was to get Albright—who’d been resisting arrest—to the jail where a more thorough search could be made of Albright’s person.

They didn’t make it—the shooting occurred just a half-block from the jail. 

Graveley’s letter was obtained this week by WISN TV.

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