A judge found a man accused of opening fire inside a Milwaukee police precinct station not criminally responsible Monday.
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge David Feiss found Darreon Parker-Bell, 24, not criminally responsible by reason of mental disease or defect on four counts of recklessly endangering safety with use of a dangerous weapon.
Three doctors who examined Parker-Bell since the February 2022 incident determined Parker-Bell suffered from a mental illness that prevented him from controlling his conduct. One doctor indicated Parker-Bell was experiencing severe despair and depression at time of the shooting, and the other doctors had similar findings.
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No one at the precinct station was struck by gunfire from Parker-Bell or an officer who returned fire.
The state has asked that Parker-Bell be committed into Wisconsin Department of Health Services custody for 25 to 30 years, but the defense opposes that, so no decision on the matter was made Monday.
Parker-Bell told investigators he fired shots at officers inside the building last year because he was upset over the overdose death in custody days earlier of a friend, Keishon Thomas. Two officers are charged in that case with felony abuse of a person in custody and misdemeanor misconduct in office.
Parker-Bell’s trial on the charges was scheduled to start Monday.
