“We saw the cops pull up: the vans, ambulance, firefighters, and we sat and watched. They gave CPR for about 15-20 minutes,” Taylen Pulley said.
“It was very deep conversations, very philosophical,” Jannette Island said. “He was a really great guy. He meant no harm.”
From The Daily Mail: 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.
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.
From CBS58:
Many community members knew Trammell for his political signs and Rastafari religious views. Community members said Trammell was an independent who supported candidates on both sides of the aisle, including President Donald Trump in the presidential race and Sen. Lena Taylor in the Milwaukee mayoral race.
John Self said he had many philosophical conversations with Trammell over the years inside his business.
“He believed in democracy. He believed in his right to free speech,” Self said. “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.”
Milwaukee police said they are still investigating the motive for the shooting.
Patricia Holland, who lives near the scene, was likely one of the last people to see Trammell alive.
“He was a happy person. He always talked to everybody that came by basically, say hi and speak to them,” Holland said.
Holland said she saw Trammell Thursday and had just gotten home when she heard gunshots, meaning she was likely one of the last people to see Trammell alive.
“I seen the ambulance and stuff — the police flying by my house, and I just said, ‘Oh my god,'” Holland said. “What happened to him, I mean — it shouldn’t happen to anyone. It’s a senseless death.”
Community members agree that Trammell was part of what makes the Riverwest neighborhood the diverse community it is.
