Milwaukee police have released photographs of the man they say is responsible for the murder of black Donald Trump supporter, Bernell Trammell.
Trammell, 60, was gunned down in the city’s Riverwest neighborhood last Thursday afternoon, with the assailant carrying out the shocking shooting in broad daylight.
Trammell was found dead in front of his business which featured Trump 2020 signs in the front window.
Detectives are still working out whether the murder may have been politically motivated, but they have now shared snaps of the suspect with the public.
On Tuesday, the Milwaukee Police Department’s Twitter account posted five surveillance stills of the man taking off on a bicycle near the scene of the crime.
Milwaukee police have released photographs of the man they say is responsible for the murder of black Donald Trump supporter, Bernell Trammell (left) . The suspect is pictured at right in a surveillance photo taken shortly after the killing
Police posted this appeal for help to Twitter. They believe the man appears to be aged in his 30s and weighs around 200 pounds
‘MPD is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect wanted for a homicide that occurred on the 900 block of East Wright Street on Thursday, July 23, 2020, at about 12:30 P.M,’ the police wrote above the pictures.
They say the man appears to be aged in his 30s and weighs around 200 pounds.
The images also show the suspect clad in a red and white baseball cap and a distinctive black sweatshirt with bright red sleeves.
The brazen broad daylight attack has sparked outrage among prominent Republicans.
Wisconsin GOP Chairman Andrew Hitt has called for federal prosecutors to investigate the ‘senseless’ killing of Trammell.
‘Because of Trammell’s well known political activism and the possibility that his murder could be politically motivated, I respectfully request that United States Attorney Matthew Krueger open an investigation into this heinous crime,’ Hitt told the Journal Sentinel in a statement issued late last Friday.
‘No American should fear for their personal safety because of where they live or their political affiliation.’
A second set of surveillance images shows the suspect taking off on a bicycle after the broad daylight shooting
Reggie Moore, director of Milwaukee’s Office of Violence Prevention, told the Milwaukee Sentinel Journal he recently intervened in a dispute between Trammell and a young man over a Trump sign he was carrying.
But community members told CBS 58 that Trammell was an independent who supported candidates on both sides of the aisle, including President Donald Trump in the presidential race and Senator Lena Taylor, a Democrat in the Milwaukee mayoral race.
‘He believed in democracy. He believed in his right to free speech,’ said John Self, who had many conversations with Trammell over the years. ‘I don’t think he ever once tried to convert you or change you. He would just tell you what he thought, he would listen to what you had to think, and then he would respect that.
‘This is a community that there’s a lot of diversity, a lot of different thoughts, a lot of different ideas, and I think that’s what he represented about the community: that you could express yourself and you could express your opinions, and that’s why he felt comfortable here I’m sure,’ Self said.
Trammell could often be seen on a street corner in Milwaukee. His signs would vary from being political to social justice to religion
Police say there is not a lot of information about what led up to the shooting and who pulled the trigger on Trammell
Adebisi Agoro, who knew Trammell, told Fox 6 he stopped by Trammell’s office just two hours before the shooting on Thursday morning to discuss politics.
‘He’s just a community figure,’ Agoro said. ‘I respected him just because he had a position… He’s got his opinion on why he feels that way; and I’m not going to knock him.’
Many other community members knew Trammell for his political signs and Rastafari religious views.
‘It was very deep conversations, very philosophical,’ one local told Fox 6. ‘He was a really great guy. He meant no harm.’
‘He’s a black elder who didn’t deserve to die the way that he did, ‘another stated.
If you do have information or know who might be involved, call Milwaukee police at 414-935-7360 or Milwaukee Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS.
The scene of fatal shooting near is pictured Bremen and Wright Streets in Milwaukee
He was found dead in front of his business where he had handmade placards in the window