By
RACINE — The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin is asking for more information regarding the fatal police shooting on July 6 of a Racine man who suffered from bipolar disorder.
Rajko Utvic, 37, was shot and killed after he reportedly charged at officers wielding a knife and ignored their orders to drop his weapon.
Racine County District Attorney Rich Chiapete released a letter Monday saying officers were justified in their actions regarding Utvic.
“Mr. Utvic bears total culpability for this deadly force confrontation. The officers attempted lesser force options, but were ultimately faced with a situation that placed their own lives at risk, “ Chiapete said in the letter to the Racine police chief.
But the ACLU of Wisconsin executive director, Chris Ahmuty, said in a statement Tuesday: “The ACLU of Wisconsin believes the public deserves to know more before putting all the blame on an individual suffering from mental illness.”
“District Attorney Chiapete’s letter to Racine Police Chief (Art) Howell does not sufficiently address this incident,” he continued.
Ahmuty has requested a copy of the investigators’ report from Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling. The Sheriff’s Office investigated the incident because of a new state law requiring an outside agency to review all officer-involved shootings. The law also requires investigators to release their report if prosecutors do not charge officers with wrongdoing.
Ahmuty said in an interview the ACLU wants to see how comprehensive the investigation was and how the new law is playing out. He said the Racine case is believed to be the first completed investigation of a police shooting since the law took effect in April.
The organization also wants to evaluate how Racine police officers are trained, department policies and whether officers could have stepped back to de-escalate the situation, he said.
Ahmuty also criticized Chiapete’s letter to Howell, saying it was “callous” toward Utvic and further stigmatizes people with mental illness.
Chiapete said he stood by his letter, which he said “fully explains the rationale behind my findings,” and that the Sheriff’s Office conducted a thorough investigation.
“I certainly sympathize with Mr. Utvic’s family for their loss. This should in no way be construed as an indictment on any individual with mental health issues,” Chiapete said.
“That being said, Mr. Utvic’s actions put these officers’ lives at risk. The officers involved responded with appropriate, justifiable and necessary force.”
Howell said he was out of the office Monday and Tuesday and had not yet reviewed Chiapete’s report.
While the Sheriff’s Office investigated the incident, Howell said the Racine Police Department would also “take every step we can take to make sure that information is released in a timely manner.”
“We want to make sure we can be as transparent as possible,” Howell said. “If there’s a perception we haven’t been, certainly we want to correct that.”
“The public deserves to know more before putting all the blame on an individual suffering from mental illness.” Chris Ahmuty, Wisconsin ACLU Executive Director