A Milwaukee security guard will not be charged in a fatal shooting that took place after the man he eventually killed shot and killed a fellow security guard.
The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office cleared Enoch Wilson in the July 9 death of Luis Lorenzo, who was killed in the parking lot of a grocery store, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The incident began when Lorenzo, 36, became embroiled in a dispute with security guard Anthony Nolden, 59.
The district attorney’s office said that Nolden told Lorenzo he could not bring a shoulder bag into the store because store policy prohibits them. Lorenzo entered the building with the bag anyway.
After an argument, Wilson was called to help Nolden remove Lorenzo from the store.
Believing he was going to fight, Nolden pepper-sprayed Lorenzo, who then ran into the parking lot. Nolden followed.
Wilson, who had just arrived to intervene, grabbed Lorenzo and, as the DA’s office put it, tried to “direct him to the ground.”
After a struggle, Wilson got Lorenzo face-down and straddled him.
At that point, Lorenzo reached into his bag and grabbed a gun. He blindly fired one shot upwards, killing Nolden.
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Lorenzo fired one shot at Wilson as well but missed. Wilson then stood and shot Lorenzo, killing him.
“Under these circumstances, Wilson’s conduct fell within the scope of the law of self-defense and defense of others,” a statement from the district attorney’s office said.
BREAKING: A grocery store shootout outside El Rey on Cesar Chavez Drive in Milwaukee has left two people dead and one injured.
According to police, a man entered the store, causing a disturbance, and two security guards chased him into the parking lot. pic.twitter.com/ANz5ALqUfX
— BNN Newsroom (@BNNBreaking) July 10, 2022
William Sulton, an attorney representing Lorenzo’s family, said the guards were at fault.
“These folks are not police officers,” Sulton said. “They’re attacking him. Mr. Lorenzo responds by trying to save himself and that has tragic consequences for he and Mr. Nolden.”
Lorenzo was a convicted felon and was not allowed to own firearms, according to the Journal Sentinel.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, Wilson’s gun permit expired less than two weeks before the shooting.
Sulton said that was a major issue because “misuse of firearms is such a problem in our community that we should aggressively prosecute these crimes.”
Chief Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern said the lapse did not bar Wilson from owning a gun and that “under the circumstances created by Lorenzo’s actions, Wilson’s use of force was necessary.”
