Teen who fired shots from car charged in homicide
Shooting killed mother of three, injured teen
An 18-year-old leaned out of a moving car and fired a gun multiple times, killing a Milwaukee mother of three and wounding a teen who was playing basketball, prosecutors say.
Ladarrell S. Lee faces charges of firstdegree reckless homicide and first-degree recklessly endangering safety, both by use of a dangerous weapon, in the shooting that killed Markeisha L. Johnson.
Police were called to N. 22nd St., just south of W. Locust St., for a report of shots fired about 2 p.m. June 10.
Officers found Johnson, 25, lying in the street bleeding and having difficulty breathing. She had multiple gunshot wounds and died in an ambulance on the way to a hospital.
According to the criminal complaint:
Detectives interviewed three witnesses, two of whom identified Lee as the shooter from a photo. The witnesses said two fights had broken out between different pairs of women with a crowd watching.
After the fights seemed to have ended, one witness heard gunshots, turned and saw a man he knew as “Darrel” leaning out of a car and shooting a handgun.
The 18-year-old who was wounded told detectives he had been playing basketball with his friends one block away when he heard gunfire and began running. He was shot in the leg, and police determined the location where he was shot was in the same line of fire.
When Lee was interviewed by detectives, he first denied the shooting. Later, he admitted he was the shooter.
He said he saw a Honda with a black and gray object inside and believed it was a gun. He shot into the car. As that car drove away, he continued to shoot toward it.
Lee said he was sorry he “accidentally” shot and killed the woman, the complaint says. He remained in Milwaukee County Jail Tuesday on $100,000 bail and is due back in court Monday for a preliminary hearing.
Johnson was the oldest of 13 children and was a mother to three children, according to an online fundraising page. She had a “great spirit, kind heart and loved her family,” a post on the page reads.
Funeral services are scheduled for Friday at New Pitts Mortuary in Milwaukee.