Ronald Carter isn't alone in having been shot by an off-duty Milwaukee cop.

But he may be the first to be billed by the city afterward.

How's that for adding insult to injury?

The 53-year-old handyman lost the use of two fingers last year after an off-duty cop fired up to nine shots at Carter's car, striking him twice in the hand, after a supposed burglary attempt by Carter.

Carter's felony charge was tossed after a Milwaukee detective conceded that he allowed Carter's car to be crushed by the city before the defendant's lawyers could examine it.

A judge concluded the detective did this on purpose; police and prosecutors maintain it was just a screwup.

Either way, Carter wasn't prepared for what happened next.

On April 6, the city sent him a bill for $295 to cover the cost of towing, storing and then shredding his gold 2001 Kia Rio. He and his lawyers didn't find out about the destruction of the vehicle until six weeks after it happened.

"If you fail to dispute or pay these fees within 28 days from the above notice date, your account may be submitted to the State of Wisconsin Department of Revenue for Tax Interception," states the letter from the city tow lot.

A staffer for the city Department of Public Works said her agency would not have comment on the situation until Monday.

But Carter's lawyer, Eric Brittain, is livid.

"This is another reminder that the criminal justice system is broke, and we need to fix it," Brittain said. "Ronnie deserves to be treated with more dignity and respect. He is the victim in this case."

In truth, it's not clear what happened late on Oct. 8 when Carter was shot by the off-duty officer, John Merrill, a case No Quarter wrote about earlier this month.

And it may never be known.

First, there was little physical evidence at the scene of the shooting on the city's northwest side. The police did recover nine shell casings matching Merrill's weapon - but little else.

The two men also tell very different stories.

Merrill, 32, told authorities that the shooting occurred after he encountered Carter inside his detached, 2½-car garage about 10:30 p.m. Carter - who has three burglary convictions - says he was in the area visiting his brother, walking down an alley to his car when Merrill accused him of breaking into his garage.

Both agree that Merrill fired a number of shots at Carter, hitting him twice in the hand, as he tried to speed away in his Kia sedan. The officer says he was acting in self-defense. Carter says the shooting was unprovoked.

He said, he said.

But this much is clear:

Not long after getting the case, Detective John Behning OK'd the release of Carter's car from police custody, and employees at the city tow lot then had the vehicle crushed Oct. 28. That came just two days after Brittain, the defense lawyer, asked to see all the evidence.

Behning failed to tell prosecutors or the defense lawyer what he had done for six weeks. He told Judge Jean DiMotto that it slipped his mind. It only came to light after a defense expert went to the city tow lot, after numerous delays, to inspect the car.

DiMotto didn't buy Behning's story. She threw out the case and accused the city of acting in "bad faith." In her ruling, DiMotto said Behning's actions and testimony permit "the conclusion that MPD through Det. Behning knew of the potential exculpatory value of the car."

County prosecutors and Milwaukee Police Department officials dispute this, suggesting it was all just a mistake. FBI investigators looked into the case and decided not to recommend any civil rights charges against any cops.

For now, Carter doesn't care about any of that.

Unable to work because of the injuries to his hand, the former city worker is facing a nearly $300 bill for a car that was crushed by the city without his knowledge.

"It's just not fair," he said at his house last week.

City officials maintain they would have sent him a notice giving him 15 days to pick up the car before turning it over to Miller Compressing - though the judge's decision appears to disagree with that time line.

Even if the city had sent such a notice, Carter wouldn't have gotten it. In October, he was sitting in jail for violating his probation on the burglary allegation. He wasn't released until mid-December when the charge was thrown out.

But that doesn't mean he wasn't worried about the vehicle.

Carter said last week that his sister went to the city tow lot in October to see if she could retrieve the car. She was told, he said, that police were holding it as evidence and an officer would have to OK its release.

That was the last the family heard from the city until the bill arrived earlier this month.

"They never did release it," Carter said. "It's wrong. I think they're being unjust. If anything, I should be getting compensation for what they did."

In fact, the police did release the car.

To the scrap heap.

Letter influences race

The Democratic Party is playing for keeps - even in aldermanic races in Glendale.

Back in January, Glendale Ald. Brian Rice wrote a letter to the editor attacking President Barack Obama, the Democratic Party and various liberal policies.

"Today, Barack Obama and the Democratic Party insist that this time their failed policies will work," Rice wrote. "History tells us they simply will not."

It's the kind of stuff that appears all the time.

But Rice, who was appointed to his post last year, was running this month against Dan Sweeney in a bid to retain his non-partisan seat. A day before the election, residents in Rice's district began receiving so-called robo-calls criticizing the conservative candidate.

The calls were paid for by the Milwaukee County Democratic Party.

"It was definitely a factor," Sachin Chheda, chairman of the county Democrats, said of Rice's letter to the Journal Sentinel.

Rice lost to Sweeney, 235 votes to 181.

Rice said last week that he was upset because, he said, the calls distorted his position on one issue. What's more, he said, he was simply exercising his First Amendment rights with his letter.

"I was shocked the party got involved in a non-partisan race," Rice said.

Chheda, however, noted that he had run for chairman on a platform calling for the party to get more involved in local races. He said Sweeney sought and received the county party's endorsement.

"The idea that the Democratic Party shouldn't be involved in political elections strikes me as a little misguided," Chheda added. "That's what we do."

Daniel Bice can be contacted by phone at (414) 224-2135 or by e-mail at dbice@journalsentinel.com.