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Thread: A Milwaukee area Home was set on fire after its resident was falsely accused of Kidnapping 2 missing kids

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    A Milwaukee area Home was set on fire after its resident was falsely accused of Kidnapping 2 missing kids

    https://www.cbs58.com/news/woman-gav...fire-destroyed

    MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee police have one suspect in custody for allegedly burning down a house near 40th and Lloyd on Tuesday, June 23.
    One of the residents was giving birth the day it happened.

    Jaleesa Hall was at St. Joe's Hospital when the home was burned down. She saw everything the family owned go down in flames on television.

    A neighborhood search for two missing girls resulted in a house burning down. Hall learned about the destruction at her residence three hours after going into labor.

    "I see it going up in flames and hundreds of people out there rioting, and I didn't know where I was going to go," said Hall.

    Neighbors suspected the house was involved in sex trafficking.

    Police say no evidence of sex trafficking has been found and this should caution people from believing online rumors.

    "Looking at social media from un-vetted sources, to be taking that as gospel, that?s exactly what happened out there on 40th Street," said Assistant Chief Paul Formolo, Milwaukee Police Department.

    Police say both missing girls that prompted the unrest were found in an unrelated location and are safe.

    MPD found one of four arson suspects and are still looking for the rest.

    "To go out and misidentify a house that contains real families, children, and go after the people that are in that house and just set it ablaze is just unacceptable," said Assistant Chief Regina Howard, MPD Administration Bureau.

    Hall's sister-in-law set up a GoFundMe page for the family. Hall says anything that can help her, her 2-year-old child, and her newborn baby is appreciated.

    "We literally just have the stuff on our back at the moment, so we need clothes, shoes, personal hygiene products," Hall said.

    https://www.wisn.com/article/police-...fire/32960594#

    Note this is a result of Racial Tensions in Milwaukee and how a local kidnapping case was handled in the city police that sparked the riot at an innocent person's home.


    MILWAUKEE ?
    Milwaukee police have released a timeline of events that led to members of the community setting a home on fire.

    The fire was in response to a perceived lack of action by officers in the search for two missing teenage girls.

    Police said the two were last seen Sunday in the 2900 block of North 21st Street.

    Investigators said they were called Monday to a home in the 2100 block of North 40th Street to check for the missing girls.

    "The officers searched the residence multiple times; however, the teenagers were not located at the location," police said in a release.

    At 10 a.m. Tuesday, officers said they responded to a "trouble with subject" call at the same location.

    Police said people tried to break into a home to conduct their own search for the missing girls.

    Officers said they searched the home again and did not find the teens.

    About an hour later, officers responded again after a report of shots fired in the area.

    "Upon arrival, officers discovered that shots were exchanged between the residents of the home and the group of individuals who were attempting to enter the residence," police said in their release.

    Police said the crowd at the scene began to grow and people threw bricks and pieces of concrete at officers.

    Two officers were injured.

    Investigators said before more officers could arrive at the scene, members of the crowd set a couch, a van and the home on fire.

    Firefighters had to wait for officers to escort them to the scene before they could begin putting the fire out.

    The home burned out of control for more than 20 minutes.

    One firefighter suffered a non-life-threatening injury.

    Police then said shots were fired in the crowd and three people were hit.

    They all suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

    Investigators said eight additional officers suffered injuries in the unrest.

    Later Tuesday evening, the crowd returned and reignited the house fire.

    Police said three more officers were injured after being hit with bricks.

    The missing teens were found and are safely with their families.

    The cousins returned home and were uninjured.

    Family members said they were with some boys.

    "At no point did the missing teenagers qualify under the state guidelines for an Amber Alert," police said in their release.

    Investigators said the girls denied going to or being at the home that burned and said they did not meet or know anyone there.

    Family members blamed social media rumors for causing the chaos.

    "There is also no evidence to substantiate that human trafficking occurred at that location," police said.

    Officers said there was no evidence the girls were ever at the home or that there was any foul play there.

    Neighbors said they believed the girls were trafficked for sex.

    Pat Bills said his grandmother lived in the home.

    "She's a loving lady. She had three strokes. She's fighting for the last little life she got left. I'm surprised this here didn't set her off," he said. "After they get the right information, for them to come back and still burn down the house, terrorism stuff, that's wrong. And then, y'all gonna use that to make a move and talk about some empowerment? Y'all are being empowering? You're not empowering at all. Y'all are terrorists."

    The owners and landlord of the house said they do ministry work in the inner city after working as missionaries overseas.

    "I was in tears. When we moved back to Milwaukee, we did all we could to help build up this whole community. And so, yes, (it's) devastating," Anna Bartsch said.

    Police said they were seeking several suspects who are wanted in connection to the arson and the suspects who shot the three victims.

    Investigators said there were two other calls for service to the home earlier this year.

    They were not related to prostitution, sex trafficking or human trafficking, police said.

    Officers said they were searching for a man wanted in connection with a recklessly endangering safety incident.

    He was described as an African American man between the ages of 18 and 25.

    The man was also described as being between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing between 150-160 pounds.

    He has a thin build and short black hair.

    The man was last seen wearing a blue/purple/white T-shirt, black pants and white shoes.

    Police said he was armed with handgun.

    Officers said they were also looking for two other arson suspects.

    One man was described as an African American man between 25 and 30 years old with a thin build, light complexion and beard.

    He was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, black hooded jacket, dark pants and black sandals with black socks.

    The second man was described as an African American man between 16 and 19 years old.

    He was described as being between 5 feet 9 and 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing about 240 pounds.

    The man was last seen wearing a blue T-shirt and blue jeans.

    So far, no arrests have been made.

    No other details have been released.

    Anyone with information on the unrest was asked to call police at 414-935-7360.

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    https://patch.com/wisconsin/milwauke...ng-teen-search

    MILWAUKEE, WI — Three people were shot and a Northside Milwaukee home was set on fire twice Tuesday after an angry crowd clashed with police outside over a sex trafficking investigation and two missing teenage girls.

    Milwaukee police said the two teens were eventually found, yet didn't say how or where they were safely located. Police only said the teens were not considered endangered and had nothing to do with the house, which was located on the 2100 block of N. 40th Street in Milwaukee.

    "There is also no evidence to substantiate that human trafficking occurred at that location," authorities said in a news release. "The preliminary investigation revealed that no information has been provided to MPD to suggest that the teenagers were at the residence that was set on fire or that any foul play occurred at that location."

    By the time the investigation wrapped up at the house, a crowd of upset neighbors tried storming the house multiple times to find the missing teens, exchanged gunfire with people inside, and pelted police officers with bricks, police said.

    House Investigated, Burned

    Milwaukee Police were initially sent to the house on the 2100 block of North 40th St. Monday morning to conduct an investigation into a potential sex trafficking operation. Police said officers searched the house several times, only to have their search come up empty.

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    On Tuesday morning, Milwaukee police were summoned to the same house after learning that people were trying to break into the house to search for the missing teens. Milwaukee police said officers searched the residence again. Their search for the missing teens came up empty.

    An hour later, around 11 a.m., Milwaukee police learned that gunshots shots were exchanged between people who lived at the home, and a group of people were attempting to enter the home for the second time in two days in search of the girls.

    While officers were on scene, the crowd continued to grow as people began to throw bricks and pieces of concrete at officers, according to authorities. Two officers were injured, police said.

    As police formed a perimeter in front of the house, Milwaukee police said the crowd surrounded the rear of the house and set a couch, a vehicle and the building on fire.

    According to an Urban Milwaukee report, Milwaukee police visited the home at least 27 times over the last four years. Among the calls were at least nine reports of gunshots fired, five for domestic violence-battery, two for stolen vehicles and six for trouble with somebody at the property.

    Clash Escalates

    According to Milwaukee Police, officers had to escort members of the Milwaukee Fire Department to the scene, so they could extinguish the blaze. One firefighter suffered a non-life threatening injury and was transported to a local hospital, police said. It's unclear how the firefighter was injured.

    Authorities said several shots were fired by people in the crowd, hitting three others. The victims of those non-fatal shootings were taken to a local hospital for treatment where they are expected to survive, police said.

    A total of ten officers sustained injuries, according to reports.

    Milwaukee police said the crowd returned and set the house on fire again. Officers intervened, and three were injured by people who hurled bricks at them.

    State Rep. Jonathan Brostoff (D-Milwaukee) said he responded to the scene on Tuesday and watched as others tried to defuse the situation between police and upset neighbors.

    "When I got out there, the first thing I saw was a bunch of police cars parked and a bunch of police all over, and then I saw a group of police walking at a hurried pace toward 40th Street," he said.

    Brostoff said on a Facebook video post that he was witness to a chaotic scene as a growing crowd began to shout and hurl objects at officers.

    "There was a lot of weird stuff today, and we need a lot of answers. And we need the police and fire commission fully staffed and fully commissioned, so we can do these investigations. We have an incredibly powerful commission, why are they half staffed?" he said. "There was a big police presence, and they had their riot gear, and what happened? The fire still happened, there was tear gas and rubber bullets. You know what? They have a hard job, we should make it easier on them. To me this was such a clarion call that we need to contact our alderpeople and our mayor."

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    https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/...st/3260616001/

    Here is the victim coming forward on the situation.

    As chaos developed earlier this week around a Washington Park house where activists thought two missing teenage girls were being held, one of the residents, Jaleesa Hall, was in the hospital having just given birth.

    Hall, 31, watched Tuesday's confusion and chaos unfold: from activists claiming the three-unit house was a haven for sex trafficking, to police finding no evidence to support that claim, to a confrontation involving tear gas and more.

    By the time it ended, the house had been set on fire — twice — and Hall and her family had been displaced.

    "We had nothing to do with this," Hall said in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "They didn't have to burn the home."

    About 4:30 am Tuesday, Hall gave birth to a baby girl, Aleeyah.

    Shortly after 10 a.m., police arrived at the three-unit house in the 2100 block of North 40th Street as part of an investigation into the two teenage girls, who had been reported missing Sunday.
    When police concluded their investigation without finding the girls — or evidence of trafficking — a group of onlookers began their own search of the house.

    By the time hours of chaos ended, three people had been shot, including two 14-year-olds; and 10 officers and a firefighter were injured. An unknown number of others were hurt by the tear gas and rubber bullets police fired into a scattered crowd.

    The girls, ages 13 and 15, were eventually found by one of their mothers more than three miles away. Police said there was no indication the girls were ever there — or that the house was used for such activity.

    Hall said almost all her belongings were destroyed when the house was set on fire.

    "We lost everything," she said. "Like my baby — all her stuff is gone. Clothes, everything that we had. My kids, my kids' father and all the people that stayed there. We lost everything."

    Hall said she had left her home two days earlier to stay with her brother while she waited to go into labor. After delivering her baby, she watched the saga unfold from her hospital bed.
    "I just couldn't sleep or even rest because of it," she said.

    Local activists said the home was long suspected to be a hub for sex trafficking. But Hall, who lived in the upstairs unit, said she had not seen any suspicious activity.

    As a mother of a 2-year-old and a newborn baby, Hall added, she would not have felt safe living in the unit if she had believed her neighbors were engaging in such activity.

    "I don't know where they're getting this information from," Hall said.

    But rumors took hold on social media as people livestreamed from the scene to thousands of viewers, sharing unconfirmed information.

    Like a game of telephone, the details morphed over time: How many children were missing? Could they be in houses nearby? And what, if any, evidence was found in the home at the center of the conflict to support allegations of sex trafficking?

    And after Hall shared her story, people on social media began calling her a fraud, speculating that she didn't actually live in the house.

    Jerry Bowie, 30, a family friend who shared the upstairs unit with Hall, showed his driver's license to the Journal Sentinel; it bore the house's address.

    He said he was helping his aunt move Tuesday and saw news of the unrest on Facebook.

    Bowie said the crowd that vandalized the house "did wrong to innocent people that had nothing to do with nothing."

    Both Bowie and Hall said they wished police had done more to stop the crowd from vandalizing the property.

    "There definitely could've been more police out there," Hall said.

    Although she's devastated by the loss of her home and belongings, Hall said she's glad she wasn't at the house when the unrest broke out.

    "It could've been worse. It could've been much worse," she said. "I'm just going to take it as a sign from God."

    A GoFundMe page for Hall and her family raised more than $3,000 by Thursday evening. Staff with the American Red Cross also reached out Thursday to provide aid.







    https://www.tmj4.com/news/local-news...day-house-fire

    Milwaukee Police are looking for the persons of interest accused of Arson at the Milwaukee area home

    MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Police Department is seeking an arson suspect after a house fire on Tuesday.

    Suspect Wanted For Arson After Starting A House On Fire, Police Say
    A 30 to 35-year-old Black man is wanted by police after they say he intentionally set a house on fire.

    Police say he is between 5'11" and 6'1" and weighs around 160 pounds. He has a full beard and was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt with a gray shirt underneath, yellow work vest, red shorts, and black shoes.

    He was involved in the incident which occurred around 11:48 p.m. Tuesday in the 2100 block of N. 40th Street.

    This is the fourth arson suspect wanted by police since the Tuesday unrest near 40th and Lloyd.

    If you have any information regarding this suspect or the arson, please contact the Milwaukee Police Department at (414) 935-7360, or Milwaukee Crime Stoppers at (414) 224-TIPS.
    https://www.tmj4.com/news/local-news...ire-police-say

    MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Police Department is now seeking a suspect after they say he intentionally set a home on fire Tuesday.

    The incident occurred around 5:05 p.m. in the 2100 block of N. 40th Street.

    Police describe the suspect as a Black male between the ages of 18 and 24-years-old. He is between 5’09” and 5’11” and weighs between 180 and 200 pounds.

    At the time of the incident, the suspect was wearing a black tank top, black shorts, and black boots with black socks.

    If you have any information regarding this incident or the suspect, please contact the Milwaukee Police Department at (414) 935-7360, or Milwaukee Crime Stoppers at (414) 224-TIPS.

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