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Madison, Wisconsin (AP) — A Wisconsin Department of Justice agent who injured an unarmed black man during a Madison traffic stop last year should go on trial as to whether the shooting was justified.
Dane County Circuit Court Judge Chris Taylor ordered Criminal Investigation Service special agent Mark Wagner to be tried in one count of second-degree reckless endangerment after a preliminary hearing Thursday, Wisconsin said. Journal reported.
Prosecutors allege that Wagner, who is white, shot Quadren Wilson during a traffic stop on Madison’s Far East side in February 2022. Wilson’s family believed race was a factor in the shooting. ing.
According to the criminal complaint, Wagner was part of law enforcement working to arrest Wilson for handling the fentanyl that led to his overdose death. Sandwiched between ministry trucks.
Wagner approached Wilson’s car with a ballistic shield. Another agent, Nathan Pesky, was beside him with a rifle. Wagner told Dane County Sheriff’s Detectives that he saw Wilson reaching under the driver’s seat with his left hand and fidgeting something with his right hand.
Wagner said he heard gunshots and fired two shots from his pistol. Pesky fired five shots. According to testimony at the preliminary hearing, Wilson was hit by bullet shrapnel and required surgery to remove it. Pesky has not been charged with anything.
Wilson turns out to be unarmed.
Wagner’s attorney, Marc Steinl, argued at a hearing on Thursday that Wagner’s use of force was justified because he believed gunshots originated from inside the vehicle. His decision to do so was rational based on Wilson’s move.
Ozanne countered that the police could only use lethal force as a last resort.
Judge Taylor said she was obligated by state law to hold Wagner for trial because prosecutors presented plausible evidence that a crime had occurred.
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