Dontre Hamilton

Dontre Hamilton, 31, who had schizophrenia, was shot 13 or 14 times and killed by Milwaukee Police Officer Christopher Manney at Red Arrow Park on April 30, 2014, after Manney conducted a pat-down search while responding to a call about a man sleeping in the park. Manney said Hamilton grabbed his baton and attacked him, prompting him to open fire. Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm declined to charge Manney in December 2014, finding the shooting was self-defense. The U.S. Department of Justice separately reviewed the case and declined federal charges in November 2015. Police Chief Edward Flynn fired Manney months before either declination — not for the shooting itself, but for conducting a pat-down that violated department policy and escalated the encounter; that firing was later upheld through two rounds of appeal. No one has ever been criminally charged in Hamilton's death.

Milwaukee, WI · Milwaukee County

• 2014: Case opens — victim reported missing or found.
• Documented milestones (renewed investigation, media coverage, family advocacy) to be added as sourced.
• Present: case remains unresolved. No named suspect has been convicted.

• The pat-down, the struggle over Manney's baton, and the shooting, per Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm's public report and an independent state investigation.
• Witnesses said Hamilton held the baton in an “aggressive posture” before Manney fired; Chisholm's report noted witnesses said Manney stopped firing once Hamilton fell.
• District Attorney Chisholm announced in December 2014 that Manney was justified in using deadly force in self-defense, declining to bring charges.
• The U.S. Department of Justice, after conducting its own investigation with the FBI, announced in November 2015 that there was insufficient evidence to charge Manney with a federal civil rights violation.
• Police Chief Edward Flynn fired Manney in October 2014, before either charging decision, explicitly for violating department pat-down policy in a way that escalated what should have been a routine welfare check — not for the shooting itself.
• Manney's firing was upheld by Milwaukee's Fire and Police Commission, a circuit court judge, and the Wisconsin Court of Appeals across successive appeals.
• The shooting prompted the Milwaukee Police Department to equip officers with body cameras.

• Whether Hamilton's actions with the baton constituted the kind of “deadly attack” Chisholm's report described, versus a reflexive reaction to an unnecessary pat-down while sleeping, was disputed by the family and has never been tested at any criminal trial.
• The specific number of shots fired — reported as either 13 or 14 depending on the source — reflects a minor but persistent discrepancy across official accounts.
• Why Hamilton, whom his family said was not violent and was experiencing a mental health episode, was patted down at all during what began as a welfare check has been disputed by the family even though the department itself found the pat-down improper.

• NBC News — “No Federal Charges for Milwaukee Cop Who Killed Mentally Ill Man”
• NBC News — “Dontre Hamilton Shooting: No Charges for Fired Milwaukee Cop”
• Wikipedia — “Killing of Dontre Hamilton” (sourced case history)
• Project Cold Case
• Murder Accountability Project
• NamUs