MILWAUKEE (WITI) — A woman was shot and injured inside Potawatomi Bingo Casino on June 16th, and more than a month later, no one has been charged. What was caught on surveillance video has been a mystery to most — except for Attorney Robert D’Arruda, is representing a 27-year-old Wauwatosa man who was initially taken into custody following the shooting, but he was later released from the case.
“The video’s worth a million words,” D’Arruda said.
D’Arruda represents a man accused of having the gun inside the casino and firing it, striking and injuring a 23-year-old woman in the leg, and grazing a 37-year-old man.
“He has denied any link to that gun. He does not own a firearm to my knowledge,” D’Arruda said.
D’Arruda says he believes the more time that passes, the more likely the Wauwatosa man will avoid charges.
“I think what’s taking so long is the video is inconclusive,” D’Arruda said.
D’Arruda is one of only a handful to see the surveillance video that is not publicly available.
“You cannot tell who pulled the gun or who fired the gun. A good analogy is a fumble in football. We all know the ball’s at the bottom of the pile, but we don’t know who has possession of it. Same thing here. The gun was at the bottom of the pile, and we don’t know who pulled it or shot it,” D’Arruda said.
D’Arruda says when the video is released, it will show his client is a victim, rather than a gunman.
“He walks out on the casino floor and he gets sucker punched behind the back of the head. He was sucker punched and it was three on one,” D’Arruda said.
Potawatomi issued the following statement: “Any impending charges are in the hands of local law enforcement, and the District Attorney’s Office. We’re confident both are doing their due diligence.”
The District Attorney’s Office wouldn’t comment on the specifics of this investigation, but said they should reach a charging decision soon.
