A homeless black man, armed with two knives near a Republican Party National Convention site in Wisconsin, was shot dead by police officers from Ohio on Tuesday.

According to the police, the man, identified by relatives as 43-year-old Samuel Sharpe, was armed with a knife in each hand. The situation escalated when Sharpe charged at an unarmed individual, prompting the officers to open fire. Two knives were recovered from the scene.

“Someone’s life was in danger,” Milwaukee police chief Jeffrey Norman said during a press conference. “These officers, who were not from this area, took it upon themselves to act and save someone’s life today.”

The incident occurred amidst heightened security in Milwaukee, with thousands of officers from various jurisdictions present to ensure the safety of the Republican National Convention, which started on Monday and is set to conclude on Thursday.

The shooting, however, has sparked outrage among Milwaukee residents, who questioned the necessity of out-of-state officers patrolling their neighbourhood, which is located over a kilometre away from the convention site. Many locals gathered at the scene, voicing their anger and planning a nighttime vigil to honour Sharpe.

“They came into our community and shot down our family right here at a public park,” said Linda Sharpe, Samuel’s cousin. “What are you doing in our city, shooting people down?”

Linda Sharpe described her cousin Samuel as a long-time resident of a tent encampment situated across the street from King Park, where the shooting took place. This encampment is a known fixture in the neighbourhood, which hosts several social service clinics and a shelter. Residents believe that Milwaukee police officers, familiar with the local homeless population, might have been able to de-escalate the situation more effectively.

Norman explained that a group of 13 Columbus officers, part of a bicycle patrol, were in their designated area when they noticed the altercation involving Sharpe. They approached the scene and repeatedly commanded Sharpe to drop his weapons, but he ignored their orders and moved towards the unarmed individual, prompting the officers to fire.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office has scheduled an autopsy for Wednesday and further investigation into the shooting is underway. 

Four top leaders from have resigned from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra’s Pimpri Chinchwad, dealing a major blow to the party led by Ajit Pawar after a poor show in the recent Lok Sabha elections. They are likely to join the party led by Sharad Pawar later this week.

Ajit Gavhane, the chief of NCP’s Pimpri-Chinchwad unit, is among those who have submitted their resignations to Ajit Pawar. The others are Pimpri Chinchwad Students’ Wing chief Yash Sane, and former corporators, Rahul Bhosale and Pankaj Bhalekar.

The resignations come amid a buzz that some leaders in the Ajit Pawar camp are willing to return to the Sharad Pawar fold.

Sharad Pawar said last month those who wanted to “weaken” his party would not be taken in, but he would accept leaders who would not “hurt” the image of the party.

“Those who wanted to weaken the party would not be taken in. But those leaders who would help strengthen the organization and not hurt the image of the party would be taken in,” he had said.

The Pawar family split into two political parties after a rebellion by Ajit Pawar against his uncle and NCP founder Sharad Pawar in 2023. While Sharad Pawar remained in the Opposition camp, Ajit Pawar joined the Mahayuti government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and was rewarded with the post of his deputy.

Ajit Pawar’s party contested the Lok Sabha elections as part of the BJP-led NDA, but could win just one seat – Raigad – while his uncle’s party bagged eight.

Four soldiers, including a third-generation soldier and a soldier wishing his wife on her birthday, were killed in a nighttime shootout in J&K’s Doda district. The soldiers hailed from Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, and West Bengal. The presence of a single terrorist is raising concerns due to their violent nature.