A Milwaukee police officer fired last year after he killed a mentally ill black man during a scuffle won’t get his job back, a panel of police commissioners ruled on Monday. Christopher Manney shot Dontre Hamilton 14 times last April during a confrontation that started with the officer supposedly making a welfare check on the homeless man. According to Manney, Hamilton, who had been sleeping in a downtown park, grabbed the officer's baton and attacked him with it. Dontre Hamilton's mom Maria, center, hugs a supporter after a panel of three Fire and Police Commission members upheld the firing of police officer Christopher Manney during a hearing  in Milwaukee on Monday . Christopher Manney, left, shot Dontre Hamilton, right, 14 times last April during a confrontation that started with the officer supposedly making a welfare check on the homeless man . The three-commissioner panel found that Manney violated department protocol when he tried to search the man moments before they began fighting. Hamilton’s family and friends cheered when the ruling on Manney's firing was announced. Prosecutors ruled the shooting was justified, but Chief Ed Flynn fired Manney, saying he improperly initiated a pat-down. Department investigators contend Manney couldn't explain why he felt the need to pat Hamilton down beyond a general belief that homeless and mentally ill people often carry knives. Hamilton had paranoid schizophrenia, but his family has said he wasn't dangerous. 'No one suspected him of committing a crime,' Mark Thomsen, an attorney representing the department, said in closing arguments on Monday. 'There wasn't a basis for (the pat-down).' Milwaukee Police Officer Fitchett testifies during the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission hearing for Christopher Manney who lost his job after firing 14 shots in the death of Hamilton in April 2014 . Thomsen had argued that officers can frisk someone only if they reasonably suspect the person is armed and poses a threat. He maintained that Manney never clearly explained how he felt threatened. Manney's attorney had argued that 'the good of the service' did not require that the officer be fired. 'I want to be a cop. It's who I am. I've helped people my whole life,' Manney told the panel. Prosecutors' decision in December not to charge Manney with a crime touched off days of peaceful rallies that saw protesters compare Hamilton's death to Michael Brown's fatal shooting at the hands of a white officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Dontre Hamilton's brother, Nate Hamilton, told reporters after the panel's first ruling on Monday that the family was happy with the decision. 'There's still more to come,' he added. 'I'm just not going to be satisfied until all officers respect us, respect people, respect our constitutional rights.' Christopher Manney, who was fired after the fatal on-duty shooting of Dontre Hamilton, - he has maintained that he had done nothing wrong . Maria Hamilton, right, mother of Dontre Hamilton, listens during Monday's disciplinary appeal. With her, are Dontre Hamilton's brothers Dameion Perkins, center, and Nate Hamilton . The U.S. Justice Department has said it will review the shooting to determine whether it should pursue a federal civil rights prosecution. Manney, who filed an application for disability retirement two days before he was fired, had testified on Sunday that he thought Hamilton might be under the influence of drugs or alcohol and he believed he might have a weapon. 'Lots of homeless have knives,' Manney's attorney Jonathan Cermele said. While Manney wasn't certain of what was in a bulge in Hamilton's clothing, Cermele said, 'he knew homeless people have a shard of glass, a knife, et cetera.' Flynn testified on Saturday that Manney's 'bad decision-making' created a chain of events that put him in a position where he had to use deadly force. A former Milwaukee detective said at the hearing on Monday that Manney did the right thing by trying to frisk Hamilton. Steven Spingola, who now works with TNT's 'Cold Justice' program, said Manney would have been reckless otherwise. Prosecutors' decision in December not to charge Manney with a crime touched off days of peaceful rallies that saw protesters compare Hamilton's death to Michael Brown's fatal shooting at the hands of a white officer in Ferguson, Missouri . Spingola acknowledged that Manney told investigators that the first time he felt fear was after Hamilton had lunged at him and punched him. Robert Willis, a master police tactics instructor, testified that he felt Manney's approach was valid because he legally stopped Hamilton and felt concerned for his safety. Willis said under cross-examination that Manney's legal team is paying him $175 an hour for his work in the case and he planned to bill them for 20 to 25 hours of work.
Milwaukee police officer Christopher Manney was fired after he shot Dontre Hamilton 14 times during a scuffle last April . On Monday a panel of police commissioners refused his request to get reinstated because he had violated department protocol . Manney was making a welfare check on the homeless man when he decided  to search Hamilton and a confrontation ensued . Prosecutors ruled the shooting was justified, but Chief Ed Flynn fired Manney, saying he improperly initiated a pat-down .