SHARE

By of the

Two Milwaukee police officers considered "recent incidents locally and nationally" when they refrained from shooting a man who chased them with a butcher knife at the scene of a suspected double homicide, according to a criminal complaint.

Alfonso Martinez, 26, was charged Thursday with two counts of recklessly endangering safety, use of a dangerous weapon in connection with the incident Monday at a house in the 3200 block of N. Richards St., according to the complaint.

Two men were found dead inside the home by officers called there about 1:30 p.m. Monday to check on the welfare of its residents, according to Milwaukee police.

According to the criminal complaint, before entering the home, the first officer to arrive was told by the caller that she had not seen the residents of the home for several days and that loud music had been emanating from an open door of the home.

The caller also indicated that one of the residents, Martinez, "had mental health issues."

The officer, who was joined by another, then encountered Martinez, who was shirtless, holding a large butcher knife and threatening to kill them.

Martinez began chasing the officers around parked vehicles as they yelled at him to drop the knife, and one of the officers even indicated that she was "beginning to wear out from the running," before Martinez finally dropped the knife and was arrested.

The officer later told investigators, "that this was the most frightening experience she has had as an officer," and "both officers indicated that they were thinking about the recent incidents locally and nationally at the time of this incident."

The charges against Martinez come against the backdrop of monthslong demonstrations in Milwaukee and throughout the nation by protesters demanding criminal charges against police officers involved in high-profile deaths of unarmed black civilians, including the shooting deaths of Dontre Hamilton in Milwaukee and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.

Hamilton, 31, was shot 14 times April 30 at Red Arrow Park in downtown Milwaukee by former police officer Christopher Manney, who was fired for his actions leading up to the shooting but not for the shooting itself.

Hamilton's killing has sparked months of protests throughout downtown Milwaukee, including another Thursday by demonstrators who marched from Red Arrow Park to a meeting of the Fire and Police Commission at the Milwaukee Public Library.

Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm has still not decided whether to file criminal charges against Manney.

The two men found inside the home on N. Richards St. had been dead "for some time" and the Milwaukee County medical examiner's office is working to identify them and determine how they died, according to police.

Milwaukee police Lt. Mark Stanmeyer said Thursday the medical examiner had not yet ruled the deaths homicides, but Martinez was considered a person of interest in the case.