Man charged with attempted intentional homicide, bail jumping, other charges in Thursday shooting of officer
A 22-year-old Milwaukee man was charged Sunday with eight felonies in which he is accused of shooting a police officer, stealing his squad car and crashing it into another vehicle.
The man, Jetrin J. Rodthong, faces the following charges: attempted first-degree intentional homicide, armed carjacking, three counts of bail jumping, second-degree recklessly endangering safety, hit-and-run, and possession of methamphetamine.
Rodthong had stacked up three felony cases in 2020, all of which remain open and had various delays because of COVID-19 issues and Rodthong's failure to appear, court records show.
Rodthong posted $3,000 bail in June 2021 but failed to appear for two court hearings in early October and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest, according to court records.
Thursday evening someone saw the driver of a Dodge Dart slumped over around 6:15 p.m. at 2101 W. St. Paul Ave. in the Menomonee Valley, according to the criminal complaint.
Milwaukee police officer Herbert Davis III, 26, was dispatched to do a welfare check on the man.
Davis looked inside the car, opened the unlocked driver's door and asked the dispatcher if medical help was responding. He then reached into the vehicle, removed the keys from the ignition and put the keys on the roof of the car.
Rodthong woke and looked at the officer when Davis called out “Sir." A small pink object in Rodthong’s lap can be seen in the body cam video and it is later identified as the firearm used in the shooting, the complaint says.
Davis requests another squad to assist, believing that Rodthong is intoxicated. He asks Rodthong to exit the car, which he does. Moments later, Rodthong attempts to flee east, away from the officer.
Davis appeared to grab Rodthong’s left arm and the two struggled. Then Davis moves toward cover behind the Dodge on the passenger side when his body camera falls off into the snow, and gunshots are heard.
The officer’s dashcam showed Davis retreats to the passenger side of the Dart and draws his gun while Rodthong approaches the officer with his handgun in his right hand, according to the complaint.
The officer moved around the car in the counterclockwise direction. His back was to Rodthong, who approached the officer and, the complaint says, shot directly at him twice from about 15 feet away.
The officer fell to the ground and fired back two or three times. The officer crawled away from the car and fired a single gunshot, and then five more shots in the direction of Rodthong who was on the opposite side of the car.
Rodthong crouched down and then ran toward the police car, while Davis fired four more shots.
Rodthong got inside the squad car and drove it east on St. Paul Ave. at a high speed, the complaint says. At 13th St. he disregarded a red light and turned left to head north on 13th street. At Clybourn St. he disregarded a red light and again turned left, now heading west on Clybourn. As he continued west he disregarded a red light at 16th St. and 17th St., where he struck the driver side of a vehicle that was southbound on 17th St.
Rodthong was driving about 65 mph, according to the complaint, slowing slightly before the crash. The driver of the other vehicle was transported to Froedtert for neck and back pain.
The complaint says Rodthong then fled from the crash scene on foot, north on 17th St. toward Wisconsin Ave. He was arrested by responding squads at 640 N 17th St. at 6:29 p.m.
Rodthong suffered multiple gunshot wounds to both arms, and was transferred to Froedtert for treatment.
Officers searched him and found more than 2 grams of substances that tested positive for methamphetamine and fentanyl, and .75 grams of opiates wrapped in a $1 bill.
Officers found a pink and black gun in the squad car, along with a 9mm cartridge.
On Friday, Rodthong told two detectivs that he had recently purchased the drugs found in his pocket, and that he used meth and heroin prior to his contact with the officer, the complaint said.
Rodthong said he did not recall how he got to where he was parked. He recalled that the officer asked his name and to get out of the vehicle, and that he had the pink 9mm gun on his waist.
Rodthong said he did not want to go to jail again and all he thought about was getting away. He did not acknowledge shooting the officer and repeated that he just wanted to get away
Davis was transported to Froedtert hospital with gunshot wounds to his left shoulder and left flank. The bullet that entered the shoulder traveled into his chest near his sternum and was removed by a doctor. Davis was released from the hospital Friday afternoon.
Suspect has past criminal record, history of substance abuse
Rodthong also faces three charges of felony bail jumping after not appearing to a scheduled court appearance on Oct. 8, 2021.
The first case was a felony offense of fleeing and eluding an officer on Mar. 19, 2020.
The second was a felony offense of driving or operating a vehicle without the owner's consent and felony bail jumping on Aug. 7, 2020. Additionally, on Aug. 8, 2020, Rodthong was charged with resisting or obstructing an officer.
Finally, he was charged with fleeing and eluding an officer, possession of narcotic drugs, and two counts of felony bail jumping on Aug. 25, 2020.
Much of his legal trouble stemmed from his substance abuse and bipolar disorder, conditions which were aggravated by the separation of his parents 10 years ago, said his sister, Linda Rodthong, in an interview last week.
Ashley Luthern and Elliot Hughes of the Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.
Jordyn Noennig covers Wisconsin culture and lifestyle. Follow her on Instagram @JordynTaylor_n. Find her on Twitter @JordynTNoennig. Call her at 262-446-6601 or email Jordyn.Noennig@jrn.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee man charged with eight felonies in officer shooting
