Dead teen’s family files lawsuit against Wisconsin deputy

By TODD RICHMOND
Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The parents of a teenager who was one of three people killed by a former Wisconsin police officer over a five-year span have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that he used excessive force and that the department he worked for “embraces and promotes” racism. In their lawsuit filed Thursday, Alvin Cole’s parents, Tracy and Albert Cole, are seeking unspecified damages from former Wauwatosa Officer Joseph Mensah, the city’s former police chief and its insurance company in connection with their son’s February 2020 death. Mensah shot the 17-year-old during a foot chase outside a mall and said the teen fired first. He resigned under pressure in 2020 and joined the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department.