The Kenosha officer who fatally shot a suspect on Saturday on his first day back on the job, was still being investigated by the Wisconsin department of justice for the shooting of another armed suspect 10 days before.
A spokeswoman for the Wisconsin attorney general’s office confirmed to the Guardian that officer Pablo Torres was now the subject of two investigations carried out by the Wisconsin division of criminal investigation (DCI) but would not comment on whether an officer returning to work while still being subject of a state investigation was standard policy.
Kenosha police department would not respond to questions, directing all questions to the DCI.
Officer Torres was placed on administrative leave after wounding a man on 4 March who advanced on police armed with knives, according to an account provided by the Kenosha police department.
He returned to work 14 March and fatally shot another man, named as 26-year-old Aaron Siler, who police stated was being pursued on a felony probation and parole warrant. According to the police account, Siler crashed his car during the pursuit and fled. When he was confronted by officer Torres, Siler “armed himself with a weapon” and was shot dead.
Kenosha police have not commented on what sort of weapon Siler is alleged to have armed himself with.
The Wisconsin DCI is also investigating the fatal shooting on Tony Robinson, an unarmed 19-year-old shot dead by Madison police officer Matt Kenny on 6 March. The findings of the investigation are likely to be handed to the attorney general’s office in the next few weeks.
Robinson’s death has sparked outrage in the community, with the south-east Wisconsin city, gripped with protests over the past week. Kenosha is about 100 miles from Madison.
