'No excessive force'

Excessive force? Of course not. He only shot him seven times. The other three missed.

By Georgia Pabst

Bartlett cleared in civil trial over death

A federal court jury has found that fired Milwaukee Police officer Jon Bartlett did not use excessive force, in violation of Larry Jenkins' civil rights, when he shot and killed Jenkins in 2002.

Jenkins' mother, Debra Jenkins, filed a civil suit over the fatal shooting that went to trial two weeks ago . Jenkins, who was unarmed, was a passenger in a car stopped for a traffic violation. He ran and got into a second car, a Lincoln. Bartlett testified he thought Jenkins had car-jacked the Lincoln and was trying to run him down when he shot 10 times into the windshield, hitting Jenkins seven times.

Others in the Lincoln testified at trial that Jenkins, 31, was invited into the car, was seated on the passenger side, and was never in control of the vehicle.

Bartlett, who was on duty at the time of the shooting, was defended by assistant city attorney Susan Lappen. The trial began just a week after a state court jury in a criminal trial acquitted Bartlett and two other ex-officers in the 2004 beating of Frank Jude Jr. That jury could not reach a verdict and one charge against Bartlett, and he faces retrial on that count later this year.

Many Jude supporters attended the week-long Jenkins trial, just as Debra Jenkins had sat through many hearings and the trial in the Jude case. After the verdict was announced this afternoon, she ran crying from the courtroom and declined to comment.