Wisconsin Police Officer Kills Suspect on Day he Returns From Leave For Shooting Another

On his first day back from a mandatory leave for shooting and wounding a knife-wielding man earlier this month, a Wisconsin police officer shot and killed an armed suspect after confronting him following a chase, authorities said.

Kenosha police officer Pablo Torres returned from leave Saturday, 10 days after shooting a man who advanced on police armed with knives, the department said. While that March 4 shooting was investigated, Torres was placed on administrative leave by department policy in police-involved shootings. He also attended annual in-service training before returning to work last weekend, police said.

On Saturday morning, police chased a car driven by 26-year-old Aaron Siler, who was wanted on a felony probation and parole warrant, Lt. Brad Hetlet said in a statement. Siler crashed at around 9:30 a.m. and took off running.

When Torres confronted Siler, Siler “armed himself with a weapon” and Torres fatally shot him, Hetlet said.

Torres was interviewed Tuesday by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Hetlet told the Kenosha News. The department’s Division of Criminal Investigation will lead the inquiry in the shooting of Siler.

There is no timetable for Torres’ return.

“He’ll take as long as he needs,” Hetlet said. “He could possibly be off as long as it takes to complete the investigation.”

Wisconsin online court records show a man with the same name and birthdate as Siler was charged in 2011 in Kenosha County with strangulation, false imprisonment, battery and disorderly conduct. He pleaded no contest to strangulation with the other charges dismissed and was sentenced in 2013 to four years of probation on condition he serve one year in jail.

In 2011, the same man pleaded guilty to bail jumping and was sentenced in May 2013 to credit served for 563 days he spent in jail. A theft charge was dismissed.

In the earlier officer-involved shooting, Torres, an 18-year veteran of the police force, was among three officers and a recruit who went to a home after a woman called to say her husband had gone into the garage to kill himself. Police say the man was armed with two knives and was seated in a running vehicle. When the man refused to drop the knives, two officers shot him with Tasers. When the man began advancing on police, Torres shot him once in the stomach. The man is expected to survive.

Hetlet said police had no additional information to release about the shooting of Siler.

Kenosha is in southeastern Wisconsin between Milwaukee and Chicago.