Democratic State Representative David Bowen has admitted to being part of a group of people that assaulted and fired a shotgun at Wauwatosa Police Officer Joseph Mensah on Saturday night.
"In my time at the protest in front of Mensah's home, I personally felt threatened by his actions: spraying pepper spray into the crowd, yelling and inviting protesters to fight him, [and] taking his big dog out to potentially attack people," Bowen said in a statement released Monday accusing both Mensah and the Wauwatosa Police Department of lying about the group's actions.
Video of the attack on Mensah's girlfriend's home provided to "The Dan O'Donnell Show" contradicts Bowen's statement, as dozens of people threw toilet paper and other objects at the house and screamed obscenities at Mensah and his family before at least one gunshot was fired. Mensah's girlfriend, a law enforcement officer who is not being named to protect her identity, was violently assaulted and posted pictures of her injuries to social media.
Her children were in the home when one of the attackers fired a shotgun into it.
Bowen, 33, has served in the Wisconsin Assembly since 2015 and was a super-delegate in the 2016 Democratic Presidential Primary. He has made no secret of his support for what have become increasingly violent demonstrations outside the homes of prominent law enforcement figures, including Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm and former Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales.
In his statement Monday, Bowen provided no evidence that either Mensah or the Wauwatosa Police Department was lying about the violent attack.
"No one tried to kill [Mensah] or his girlfriend. That's a lie. No one tried to enter his home. That's a lie. There weren't several shots fired. Another lie. No protestor [sic] shot at the back door. That's the biggest lie," Bowen said in a tacit admission that he saw the shooting and is at least a material witness to the attack. "Joseph Mensah chose to engage with a protestor [sic], and pulled the trigger on the individual's firearm."
According to Wauwatosa Police, Bowen was lying.
"The group, estimated to be between fifty and sixty people, targeted [Mensah's] private residence and began to vandalize the home," Wauwatosa Police Sergeant Abby Pavlik said in a news release Sunday. "Officer Mensah attempted to establish a dialog with the group but was ultimately physically assaulted outside of his home. As Officer Mensah retreated into his home, armed protesters approached the rear door and a single shotgun round was discharged by a member of the group into Officer Mensah's backdoor."
This is consistent with video evidence one of the attackers shot of the incident and of the physical damage to the property, and this evidence directly contradicts Representative Bowen's statement.
Photo: Wisconsin State Legislature