WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) -- A white firefighter who allegedly used a handgun to threaten a black fisherman and his family was ordered Thursday to stand trial on the charges against him.
North Lake firefighter Mark J. Weber, 41, faces charges of intentionally pointing a firearm at another person, as a hate crime, and disorderly conduct.
Mark Bratton, 41, of Milwaukee, who made the accusation, broke down in tears as he testified at Weber's preliminary hearing in Waukesha County Circuit Court.
Bratton said he feared for his life when Weber pointed a handgun in his direction April 19 while he was fishing at a roadside pond in the Town of Merton.
''He said, 'Hey, n-----s, get out of my town,''' Bratton said.
When asked by District Attorney Paul Bucher what the epithet meant, Bratton replied: ''It means that we're inhuman.''
Chenequa Police Officer Jeremy Sallmann testified Weber repeated the racial slurs in describing his encounter with Bratton after being arrested.
Prosecutors have accused North Lake Fire Chief Terry J. Stapleton, 65, of using racist language and chasing the man with a dog during the same incident.
Stapleton faces charges of disorderly conduct as a hate crime and obstructing an officer. He is to be arraigned June 2.
