Man Shot by UWM Police Last Week Charged with Bail Jumping

Irie Payne, the 30-year-old man who was shot and wounded in the UWM police shooting March 19, has been charged with felony bail jumping, and the chancellor now says Payne had a loaded firearm while he was sleeping in the closed Fine Arts Complex on campus.

Payne’s LinkedIn page says that he was a former UWM student.

Payne was charged on Wednesday with bail jumping after he failed to appear for jury trial on March 18 – the day before the UWM shooting – in a series of weapon and other past charges.

Meanwhile, the officer’s name has still not been released; Oak Creek police are handling the investigation into the shooting. Payne has not been accused in any formal charges relating to the shooting.

Payne was found sleeping in the Fine Arts Complex at the Peck School of the Arts on March 19, and two UWM police officers responded to a call, according to the chancellor. During a physical altercation, the police allegedly found he had the loaded firearm. Payne was shot and all three were taken to the hospital. Both officers sustained minor injuries.

“The man was discovered to be in possession of a loaded firearm and was shot during an altercation,” Chancellor Mark Mone alleged in an email to campus. “The firearm was recovered from the scene.” Mone did not name Payne; however, Payne’s name was included in the criminal complaint charging him in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.

A man who witnessed the shooting’s aftermath said it appeared Payne was homeless. A June 2018 story on Media Milwaukee documented how some homeless people had become a presence on campus. “As long as they’re not causing problems, they can go in any space that anyone else can go,” said UWM Police Chief Joseph LeMire at that time.

Payne once studied dance at UWM, according to his LinkedIn account. He wrote that he studied at the university from 2009 to 2015. He was a member of the Milwaukee Panthers Football Club, his page says. While at UWM, he worked at a daycare as a maintenance and driving assistant, according to LinkedIn. He’s also worked in security and as a sales associate for local stores, the site says.

“[The District Attorney’s] office is reviewing both the use of force by the officers involved as well as additional charges for the suspect. Further action by the district attorney will not take place until late next week at the earliest,” said Mone in the email. An assistant for the DA’s spokesman said there was no new information to provide.

Payne was due in court regarding offenses from an open case from December 2017 on allegations of fleeing from police in a vehicle, second-degree recklessly endangering safety, carrying a concealed weapon and resisting/obstructing an officer, according to Wisconsin court documents. The Franklin Police Department was the issuing agency in that case.

In the 2017 case, which was still pending when the shooting occurred, the defense ordered a competency examination. Court documents stated: “The Court suspends proceedings and further finds that the defendant is incompetent to proceed at this time, but if provided with appropriate treatment, is likely to become competent within 12 months or within the maximum sentence specified for the most serious offense, whichever is less. The proceedings are suspended. The defendant is committed to the Department of Health and Family Services for an indeterminate term not to exceed 12 months, or the maximum sentence specified for the most serious offense, whichever is less.”

A month later, the court vacated the competency findings. Payne last appeared in court on Feb. 25.  

The court has issued a no-contact order for Payne, prohibiting him from UWM’s campus if released from jail, said Chancellor Mone’s email and court records. Court records in the bail jumping case read: “No Contact Order. Defendant to have no contact with UWM campus – North boundary: Edgewood Avenu, West boundary: Oakland Avenue, East Boundary: Hackett Avenue, and South boundary: Locust Street. No contact order to include: Cambridge Commons Residence Hall: 2323 N. Cambridge Avenue, Riverview Residence Hall: 2340 N. Commerce Street, and Kenilworth Square Apartments: 1915 E. Kenilworth Place.”

“While we are committed to transparency, we are limited in commenting about these investigations while they are ongoing and do not control their timing. We will share as much information as we are able as it becomes available,” Mone wrote. “Counseling services and information about campus safety alerts are available to all faculty, staff and students and we encourage anyone to take advantage of these resources.”

Payne also has two traffic violations on his record. One was issued by UWM police in October 2017 for failing to stop for a flashing red signal, according to court documents.

Payne appeared in court today and remains in custody. He was turned over to Justice Point for Level 5 Supervision, court records show. He is due in court on April 8 for a preliminary hearing. He has been deemed indigent and is being represented by the public defender’s office, court records say.