The man accused of causing the crash that killed Milwaukee Police Officer Kou Her pleaded not guilty to felony charges on Tuesday. During his appearance in Milwaukee County Court, Dante James waived his preliminary hearing and was bound over for trial.
Dante James is charged with homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, and other charges. According to the criminal complaint, James had been fired for being drunk on the job hours before his vehicle collided with Her’s. Then, he “had some shots” at a cousin’s house before getting back behind the wheel early in the morning on June 18th. Investigators say he crashed into Her’s car as Her was driving home after the end of his shift.
Funeral services were held Monday for Her. He was one of two off-duty police officers killed in separate overnight incidents on June 17-18. Hours before the collision which killed Her, Racine Officer John Hetland was shot and killed when he intervened in an armed robbery. The suspect in Hetland’s death is 26-year-old Dalquavis Ward, is in custody.