MILWAUKEE, Wis. (SPECTRUM NEWS)- The off-duty Milwaukee Police officer accused of choking a man to death in April appeared in court for the first time Wednesday.

Officer Michael Mattioli is charged with first-degree reckless homicide in the death of Joel Acevedo. According to court documents, the two got into a fight during a party Mattioli was hosting in April.

Wednesday, a judge upheld Mattioli’s $50,000 bail. He remains free on bond. Mattioli is suspended from the Milwaukee Police Department, but has not been fired.

Dozens gathered outside the Milwaukee County Courthouse Wednesday during and after the hearing to call for Mattioli to be fired and for police reform. Renowned attorney Ben Crump is joining the legal team representing the Acevedo family. Crump is also representing the family of George Floyd. Together, the family and team of attorneys called for the release of 911 tapes and police body camera videos to the public.

“This is the demand of the family. If they don’t do it we are going to be filing a lawsuit to demand they release the public records.” Attorney Crump told reporters

The Acevedo family says the body camera footage, which they and attorneys have viewed, paints a very different narrative of what happened during the encounter between Mattioli and Acevedo from what is described in police reports. ​