APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A peaceful protest was held in Appleton Saturday in response to a man being shot and killed by an officer last Sunday.
The protest started at 3 p.m. at Jack’s Apple Pub, where the shooting occurred.
The incident resulted in the death of 33-year-old Jimmie Sanders. He was shot by Lt. Jay Steinke.
Tuesday, criminal charges were filed against 33-year-old Henry Nellum. Some of the charges include attempted intentional homicide.
A criminal complaint states Nellum was in a fist fight with another man in the bar.
Sanders’ role in the incident to is still unclear and questions surrounding his death prompted the protest.
Saturday, some of the streets in downtown Appleton were filled with demonstrators, people wanting to know what happened to Jimmy Sanders.
“We’re trying to get the facts making sure the concerned citizens of Appleton and the concerned citizens of Milwaukee, get to the truth of what took place with Jimmy,” said Tory Lowe of Milwaukee, who is a community advocate representing the Sanders family.
Lowe says the family wants Lt. Jay Steinke’s incident reports released.
Appleton Police say Steinke, a 28 year veteran with the Appleton Police Department fatally shot Sanders.
Steinke was responding to the call of the bar fight.
“I know better, I know that we have to wait till the investigation is done to really make those kinds of suggestions,” explained Lowe.
The Green Bay Police Department is in charge of the investigation. But Lowe isn’t happy about that because Appleton’s Police Chief Todd Thomas used to work for Green Bay police.
“There is a conflict of interest with the Green Bay Police Department investigating due to the officer involved,” he said.
On May 22, Appleton Police Chief Todd Thomas released a statement which said in part,
We hope we have proven to the community from previous incidents that we have developed an investigative process that is credible and timely. We created this process to ensure we are able to quickly respond to the community and those involved when these tragic incidents occur; we only ask for patience so that the investigation is not compromised in any way. We appreciate those who are giving the investigators the time they need to properly investigate this incident. We also want to thank those in the community who have offered support and best wishes to Lt. Steinke and our other employees who are involved. We ask for you to keep in your thoughts and prayers the other individuals involved in this incident, and their loved ones.
As they stand in a circle, within the intersection of Jack’s Apple Pub, Lowe adds, “Till we can understand exactly what took place, then we can make those types of assumptions, after we understand the facts.”
FOX 11 reached out to the Appleton Police Department for comment on the protest, and did not received a response.
Green Bay Police continue to handle the investigation, because it was an officer-involved shooting.
Steinke is on administrative leave.
