Black Trump supporter, 60, shot dead in Milwaukee: Detectives investigating ‘political’ motive after beloved community activist known for holding political signs was gunned down in a drive-by
- Bernell Trammell, 60, was gunned down in a drive-by shooting on Thursday
- He was known for his signs that said ‘Vote Trump 2020’ and recited Bible versus
- Cops have not yet landed on a motive, but aren’t discounting his links to the GOP
- Residents in the neighborhood say he wasn’t afraid to express his political views
- The Republican Party has called for a federal investigation into the slaying
- Chairman Andrew Hitt said: ‘No American should fear for their personal safety because of where they live or their political affiliation’
Detectives are investigating whether a black Donald Trump supporter was shot and killed in Milwaukee over his politics.
Bernell Trammell, 60, was gunned down in a drive-by shooting on Thursday at 12.30pm in the neighborhood where he was known for his signs that said ‘Vote Trump 2020’ and recited Bible versus.
He was found dead in front of his business where he sold his eXpressions Journal and had handmade placards backing a range of movements including Black Lives Matter in the window.
A memorial with flowers and candles has now been set up on the sidewalk as police look into what happened.
Detectives are investigating whether a black Donald Trump supporter was shot and killed in Milwaukee over his politics. Bernell Trammell, 60, was gunned down in a drive-by shooting on Thursday at 12.30pm in the neighborhood where he was known for his signs that said ‘Vote Trump 2020’ and recited Bible versus
They have not yet landed on a motive, but aren’t discounting his links to the GOP.
Adebisi Agoro told Fox 6 he stopped by Trammell’s office just two hours before the shooting on Thursday morning to discus 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.’
Roommates Andrew Olmstead and Taylen Pulley left their apartment to play basketball when they saw cops pull up outside.
‘We saw the cops pull up: the vans, ambulance, firefighters, and we sat and watched. They gave CPR for about 15-20 minutes.
He was found dead in front of his business where he sold his eXpressions Journal and had handmade placards backing a range of movements including Black Lives Matter in the window. A memorial with flowers and candles has now been set up on the sidewalk as police look into what happened
Janette Island said she would pop in the storefront of his three-story building where he had a publishing company, talking religion from Christianity to Rastafari.
‘It was very deep conversations, very philosophical,’ Island told Fox 6. ‘He was a really great guy. He meant no harm.’
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.
Police say there is not a lot of information about what led up to the shooting and who pulled the trigger on Trammell
Trammell could often be seen on a street corner in Milwaukee. His signs would vary from being political to social justice to religion
‘He’s a Black elder who didn’t deserve to die the way that he did’, Moore said.
Republican Party of Wisconsin Andrew Hitt 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 Friday.
‘No American should fear for their personal safety because of where they live or their political affiliation.’
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.
