Waukesha County Sheriff's Deputy Joseph Mensah, A Former Wauwatosa Police Officer Expected To Be Charge With The June 2016 Homicide Of Jay Anderson Jr.

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Yamahiro found probable cause to charge former Wauwatosa Police Officer Mensah, who is currently a Waukesha County Sheriff's deputy with a homicide charge.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

July 28, 2021

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On Wednesday, Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Glen H. Yamahiro found probable cause to criminally charge Joseph Mensah, 32, a current Waukesha County Sheriff's deputy and former Wauwatosa Police Officer with a homicide charge for the murder of Jay Anderson Jr., 25, on June 2016 in Wauwatosa.

Judge Yamahiro indicated that Mensah failed to deescalate the situation, didn't wait for backup, which was on the way and didn't used other options to avoid killing Anderson.

A special prosecutor will be assigned within the next 60 days to charge Mensah with a felony homicide charge.

The Waukesha County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday is looking at options to handle deputy Mensah's employment due to the current Milwaukee County court decision to charge Mensah. Mensah will most likely be removed as deputy pending the outcome of the felony criminal charge in Milwaukee County.

Mensah resigned from the Wauwatosa Police Department after being involved with three homicides within a five-year duty span. 

According to the Milwaukee Police Department investigation, then Wauwatosa Police Officer Mensah went to Madison Park in regards to an after-hour loitering violation. Mensah who wasn't wearing a body video camera at the time claimed that Anderson reached for a handgun next to him and that he feared for his life and fired multiple shots striking Anderson five times in the head and another shot in the upper right shoulder. The police investigation result indicated that Mensah was justified in Anderson's homicide, according to the Milwaukee Police investigation report.

Mensah was also declared justified in the shooting deaths of Alvin Cole, 17, on February 2, 2020 at the Mayfair Mall parking lot and Antonio Gonzales, 29, on July 2015 for wielding a decorative sword.