Help a Hero

When Milwaukee Police Officer Ryan DeWitt took a bullet to the ballistic shield that likely saved his life on September 5, 2024, it wasn’t the first time he was in the middle of a shootout. It was the fourth. And it wasn’t the final danger he faces.

When MPD shared their press release, it said: “Three members of the MPD sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the exchange.” That doesn’t even to begin to tell the whole story – the story of officers who stand between citizens and danger every day and who are injured in ways that can’t be taken care of in an ER. You don’t have to take my word for it – you can see it for yourself in the moments when Ryan and his Sergeant were pinned down in a bedroom and taking fire from the suspect. At 5:23 on the video, Ryan takes a bullet to his shield in line with his head. Just moments prior, Ryan had been without any protection at all. https://youtu.be/UUulxyrhgE8?si=Hz1MBq2ZHv2IVMke-

Ryan is my big brother. The call I received that day from my Mom, her voice shaky and terrified, was the fourth such call my family has had to bear when Ryan was nearly killed in the line of duty. Watching the video, I simply cannot hold back my own anxiety. My throat tightens, my heart races, and I must remember to breathe, watching it all unfold. Hearing the stress in my brother’s voice and aware that there could have been a very different outcome, makes it almost unbearable to watch. I absolutely can’t imagine how the men and women of the MPD - and all first responders - are able to move on from situations like this. It is a level of stress that we as civilians, will never be able to comprehend.

Ryan is a son, big brother, husband, father to three boys, and a friend. He is a role model who has made me the man that I am. Unfortunately, my big brother is not invincible. Ryan is a part of high stress situations daily with the challenging roles that he has taken on within MPD - Community Prosecution Unit, Anti-Gang Unit, MCORP, FBI Task Force Officer, HIDTA as a DEA Task Force Officer, Special Investigations Unit, and most recently the Fugitive Apprehension Unit. He has spent 16 of his 20 years with MPD in District 3. Ryan has participated in investigations of criminal doctors and assisted in dismantling international drug networks. He is personally responsible for over 2,000 arrests and has seen unimaginable conditions, been involved in countless critical incidents, and four shootings.

Ryan has received promotions and assignments that he proudly accepted. Even with 2 credible death attempts on his life, Ryan chose to continue his work in protecting our city and continuing to advocate for those who need it most.

Ryan has had numerous physical injuries on the job – but these are the easy wounds to heal. You can sign a cast, visit while he’s laid up, or make calls to check in… but this incident on September 5th, 2024, ripped open the festering wound of PTSD. He cannot get a surgery, slap on a cast, or take it easy for a few weeks and heal. While in the past, he has sought help, and was admitted to an outpatient treatment program, it was like gauze slapped on the wound with no support. Simply put, everything from the past 20 years has come to a head. Ryan is at his breaking point.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Ryan was denied his claim for Workman’s Compensation, is unable to return to his position within MPD, and he can’t apply for any alternative employment, He has no source of income. This makes it impossible for him to give any focus to his mental health as he is trying to keep his family’s heads above water, with the sudden adjustment to one income and an increase in bills, fees, and the needs of his three teenage sons. I know Ryan, and I truly believe what he is facing is life or death.

He is a hero who is being stripped of his identity, his name, his legacy, and he has been cast aside as an inconvenience or liability.

Ryan deserves the time to heal. He deserves to live a life feeling proud of who he is and what he has accomplished. He deserves a chance. We are asking you – the people he spent his career protecting, to help us to get Ryan and his family the help that he and they need to move beyond the trauma and start their next chapter. The trauma support that he requires is a minimum of 30 days inpatient at a facility that deals specifically with severe cases of PTSD. It comes with a price tag of $30,000. Once he begins the process, we can only assume that treatment may need to go beyond the 30 days.

I’m pleading for your support and ask that you give whatever you can, to help save my brother. Your support may come as a financial donation or simply by sharing his story. Either way, our family is grateful, and Ryan’s life can be forever changed for the good. This is our opportunity to show Ryan and his family the love and compassion that all first responder families should feel.