MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee Police Department has identified the officer who was fatally shot while conducting a search warrant Wednesday morning.
Officer Matthew Rittner was part of a Tactical Enforcement Unit that responded to the 2900 block of South 12th Street to execute the warrant around 9:17 a.m. when the shooting occurred, according to a department news release.
Officials said that when the officers announced themselves as police, the suspect fired several rounds, striking Rittner, who was transported to Froedtert Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
The 35-year-old officer began his career as a police aide in 2001 and served with the Milwaukee Police Department for 17 years. He was a tenured member of the Tactical Enforcement Unit and a veteran of the United States Marines Corps.
The suspected gunman was identified as 26-year-old Jordan P. Fricke. He arrested and taken into police custody at the scene without incident.
"To my officers, I am asking that you reach out to one another and that you not only support one another, but that you pray for one another," Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales said in a statement. "I am also asking that you pray for Officer Rittner's family. Milwaukee, I am asking for your prayers as this is a very tragic time for our agency."
Rittner's death marks the third line-of-duty death the department has suffered in an eight-month span. Before that, the last line of duty death occurred 22 years ago.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
