Milwaukee police chief says there's no reason to fire cop who killed a black teen, 17, and two others in separate shootings as he was found to have acted lawfully in all cases

Officer Joseph Mensah has killed three people in the last five years . He was cleared of wrongdoing in all three cases

The police chief of a Milwaukee suburb has said there is no reason to fire an officer who was cleared of wrongdoing in the shooting death of a black teen in February. 

During a news conference on Monday, Wauwatosa police Chief Barry Weber said cop Joseph Mensah was found to have acted lawfully when he fatally shot 17-year-old Alvin Cole. 

Cole was the third person Mensah, who is also black, shot and killed since joining the police force five years ago.

Milwaukee County's district attorney announced last week that like the first two fatal shootings, Mensah would not be charged in Cole's death, sparking five days of protests and unrest.  

In his report, the DA noted that officers said Cole pointed a gun at them and refused to drop it, and that Mensah could successfully argue he fired in self-defense.

Although Mensah won't face charges, the Wauwatosa Police and Fire Commission is considering firing him.  

The city's police commission suspended Mensah in July and asked independent investigator former U.S. Attorney Steven Biskupic to review the Cole case with an eye toward possible discipline.  

Alvin Cole, 17, was gunned down by Wauwatosa Police Officer Joseph Mensah outside a shopping mall in Wisconsin, back on February 2. Officer Joseph Mensah, who is also black, has been cleared of any charges related to the teenager's death

Wauwatosa police Chief Barry Weber, pictured, said Monday that cop Joseph Mensah should not be fired as he acted lawfully when he fatally shot 17-year-old Alvin Cole in February

Cole was shot and killed by Mensah in the Mayfair mall parking lot on February 2.

In a report provided to The Associated Press by Cole's family's attorney, Biskupic recommended that Mensah be fired because he felt the risk was too great that Mensah would fatally shoot someone else, which would create 'an extraordinary, unwarranted and unnecessary risk' to the city and police department.

Yet Weber said he disagrees with Biskupic's recommendations because Mensah was found to have acted legally when he used deadly force in all three shooting deaths.

'I've never heard of any police officer ever being disciplined for something they may or may not do in the future,' Weber said, noting that the decision is ultimately up to the commission to decide.

'Joseph Mensah's been cleared by the district attorney in three different cases. There's been no reason to this point, and none that I can see, (for why) he should be removed from the force,' the chief said.

Kimberley Motley, the Cole family's attorney, rejected Weber's position, again calling Mensah 'unfit' and renewing her call that he and the chief be fired.

'I think that position of the chief is another reason why he needs to be terminated as well,' Motley said, adding: 'Joseph Mensah is not credible and neither is Chief Weber.'

Mayor Dennis McBride, who also spoke at the news conference, openly questioned in the past whether Mensah should remain on the force. 

But on Monday, he declined to say where he now stands, explaining that he didn't want to put additional pressure on the police and fire commissioners.

'I'm not a police officer, I'm not a psychologist. I'm a mayor, I'm a lawyer. Those things don´t qualify me to judge fitness of police officers,' McBride said.

Officers had been called to the scene on February 2 to reports that Cole, pictured, had allegedly argued with a man he didn't know and displayed a stolen 9 mm handgun

When the cops arrived on the scene, Cole fled and was chased on foot by officers and mall security guards, authorities said. The teenager, pictured, reportedly pulled the gun from a fanny pack and accidentally fired it, shooting himself in the arm

Mensah's attorney, Jonathan Cermele, did not immediately return a call for comment.

The decision to not charge Mensah in Cole's death sparked five nights of protests in Wauwatosa, including a gathering Sunday that was much more peaceful than protests last week in which demonstrators clashed with police, who used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse them.

Cole's devastated mother Tracy Cole, 48, and two sisters Taleavia and Tristiana Cole were arrested Thursday night during protests over the decision. 

Disturbing footage surfaced on Facebook Live of Tracy's arrest showing the grieving mom screaming 'I cant believe y'all did this to me. Y'all killed my son' as cops appear to pull her from a car and arrest her.

In the 18-minute video, where the action takes place out of the camera's line of sight, Tracy repeatedly says 'I can't breathe' - the same words uttered by George Floyd, another black man who died at the hands of American cops this year.

Tracy says her head is bleeding and that she believes her arm has been broken by the officers making the arrest, the livestream shows. 

Tracy Cole speaking after the ruling Wednesday. Mensah has killed three people in fatal shootings in the last five years and in all three cases he has faced no charges or discipline while DA Chisholm has been responsible for the ruling in all three cases

The 48-year-old was taken to hospital for medical attention following the arrest.

Police on Friday defended their arrests saying the family were driving recklessly during a protest and refused officers' demands to leave their vehicles. 

Cole was shot and killed by Mensah in the Mayfair mall parking lot on February 2.

Officers had been called to the scene to reports that Cole had argued with a man he didn't know and displayed a stolen 9 mm handgun. 

When the cops arrived on the scene, Cole fled and was chased on foot by officers and mall security guards, authorities said. 

Cole reportedly pulled the gun from a fanny pack and accidentally fired it, shooting himself in the arm, DA Chisholm said.  

The teen fell to the ground and was surrounded by three cops - including Mensah - who all pointed their firearms at him, authorities said. 

The decision to clear Mensah sparked five days of protests in Wauwatosa, pictured

Protestor confront police and National Guard troops near the Wauwatosa City Hall Friday

National Guardsmen in riot gear stand in the street Friday as protests continued over the decision not to press charges against cop Joseph Mensah for the death of teen Alvin Cole

Mensah told investigators he fired shots at the teen 'out of fear for his life'.

None of the other cops fired their guns.  

Mensah had been on the scene less than 30 seconds before he shot Cole dead. 

Chisholm's report noted that Cole's gun had a spent round in the chamber — the one that investigators believe he fired while running, possibly striking himself in the arm — and that the magazine was recovered in his sling bag, meaning the gun had no more bullets in it when he was shot.

Cole was the third person Mensah has killed on the job since he joined the force in 2015. 

He shot Antonio Gonzales in 2015 after police said Gonzales refused to drop a sword. 

A year later, Mensah shot Jay Anderson Jr. in a car parked in a park after hours. 

Mensah said he saw a gun on the passenger seat and thought Anderson was reaching for it. 

He was cleared of wrongdoing in each case.

The protests in Wauwatosa are just the latest in a series of demonstrations against police racism and brutality that have erupted across the country since George Floyd's death. 

Floyd, who was black, died in May after a white police officer in Minneapolis pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes despite Floyd's pleas for air.