Crime & Safety
Cop Guilty of Accidental Gun Discharge in Southridge
A Milwaukee police officer whose gun accidentally discharged in the mall last year pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct.
The Milwaukee police officer whose gun went off in Southrige Mall last year has pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct.
Michael Edwards, 46, was originally charged with endangering safety by use of a deadly weapon but pleaded guilty Wednesday to the reduced charge of disorderly conduct.
The gunfire at the mall happened Nov. 2. Edwards told Greendale police he was was at Auntie Anne's Pretzel with his fiancee when he reached into his left back pocket for his wallet and felt his gun slide down into his pants. He reached for the gun to stop it from sliding down and it discharged. The .40 caliber gun did not have a safety and had not been secured in a holster, according to the complaint.
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The complaint also said that a witness, Amanda Studebaker, was at Auntie Anne’s Pretzel when she heard "a very loud bang and felt something hit the
back of her leg and then felt a stinging sensation."
Edwards also is the president of the Milwaukee Police Supervisors' Organization.
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A sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 24.
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