Milwaukee Officer Clings to Tow Truck, Fires Fatal Shot at Driver

Body camera footage released by the Milwaukee Police Department captured a 46-year-old officer gripping the driver's side door of a white flatbed tow truck as it traveled eastbound at roughly 30 miles per hour through the south side of the city, several blocks from where the encounter began near 12th and Burnham. The officer, a 21-year veteran of the department, fired his weapon while still hanging from the vehicle, striking the driver. Jonathan Otto, 35, later died from his injuries.

The incident unfolded around 10 a.m. on March 12. Officers, accompanied by a Wisconsin Department of Corrections agent, had located Otto in the flatbed truck while responding to a report of a wanted suspect on a parole violation connected to allegations of assault and strangulation. According to Police Chief Jeffrey Norman, the officer ordered Otto to exit the vehicle. When Otto refused and the officer attempted to physically remove him, Otto accelerated and drove off with the officer still holding onto the door.

As the truck continued for several blocks, the officer's partner radioed dispatch: "My partner's hanging on the flatbed of a truck going eastbound on Rogers from 12th Street. White flatbed." The bodycam footage shows the officer issuing repeated commands to stop, warning Otto he would be shot if he did not comply. A passenger inside the truck with Otto also urged him to stop. Otto did not. The officer fired, the truck halted, and Otto was later pronounced dead. The officer was transported to a hospital for treatment of non-fatal injuries and placed on administrative leave, standard procedure following an officer-involved shooting.

Otto's mother, Tracy Broyld, said her son was a tow truck driver who loved his work. She questioned why officers did not deploy a Taser rather than a firearm. Otto's wife, who was inside the truck and witnessed the shooting, has disputed parts of the department's account and is seeking a full, independent investigation.

Chief Norman, speaking at a public briefing, maintained that the officer issued multiple warnings before firing and that the sequence of events would be subject to review by internal affairs and outside oversight units. Community advocates pressed for the rapid release of all available footage and full transparency in any investigation.

The bodycam video drew national attention after its wider circulation in late March, reigniting debate over a persistent question in policing: what threshold justifies lethal force when an officer is physically endangered by a moving vehicle. Police training broadly discourages officers from holding onto moving vehicles because of the compounded risk to both the officer and bystanders, and departments vary in how firmly that guidance is enforced. Otto's family has retained legal counsel, and the case is expected to generate sustained scrutiny of Milwaukee's use-of-force policies and its protocols for arresting suspects on parole violations.