4 persons of interest are in custody in connection with the homicides of 6 people at North 21st Street, Milwaukee police chief says
Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said Thursday four persons of interest are in custody in the mass shooting of six adults in a north side home last weekend.
Additionally, Norman revealed that 12 hours before the bodies were found, police received a 911 call reporting an incident with similar details to the sextuple homicide. The call was placed by someone who was not a victim, and police are still determining how the caller is connected to the incident.
Norman declined to say whether the caller is one of the four people in custody and did not detail how any of them is connected to the incident.
“We’re still trying to determine what their involvement was, if any, with this homicide,” said Norman, who added that no charges have been referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.
Those in custody are not suspected of being the shooters at this time, but are believed to have information related to the investigation, according to two law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation.
More: Another record-breaking year of homicides ends with 197 lives lost in Milwaukee
Police Chief Jeffrey Norman says shootings at 2500 block of North 21st Street appear targeted
Thursday’s news conference marked the first time police offered details into the investigation after the six bodies were found with gunshot wounds in a home along the 2500 block of North 21st Street on Sunday.
Norman said Thursday the shootings appear targeted and it does not appear to be a murder-suicide. He said multiple suspects were involved but could not say how many or the number of guns used.
The two law enforcement sources confirmed to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the victims had been shot execution-style.
The motive is still under investigation, but when asked whether the shooting had anything to do with three of the victims’ knowledge of another homicide, Norman cast doubt on the idea.
“We are still looking into all angles … but at this time we’re pretty sure that that is not relative to this particular incident,” he said.
The victims have been identified as Charles L. Hardy, 42; Caleb A. Jordan, 23; Javoni Liddell, 31; Donta "Michael" Williams, 44; Michelle D. Williams, 49; and Donald Smith, 43.
Michelle Williams and her husband, Donta Williams, as well as Donald Smith, had lived at the house where they were discovered, according to the medical examiner's records.
Jordan had stayed with the Williamses before during a period of homelessness, his mother, Latoya Jordan, told the Journal Sentinel.
More than 30 people turned out in frigid temperatures this week to remember the victims at a balloon release and call for justice in the case. Tributes also quickly spread across social media.
Milwaukee Police looking into 911 caller in homicides
It is still not clear when the shootings occurred, but about 12 hours before police performed a welfare check on the home and discovered the bodies, Norman said police received a 911 call about a shooting in the same area.
The caller claimed she was a victim of a shooting and said multiple other people were shot. She provided two addresses near the 2500 block of North 21st Street but neither were on that same block, Norman said.
Officers responded and canvassed the area but were unable to locate any evidence of a shooting, nor were they able to contact the caller, Norman said.
Investigators did not tie that call to the mass shooting until Monday, a day after the bodies were found. But sometime after that, they did eventually identify and make contact with the caller.
Norman said the caller was not a victim in any shooting and it is still unclear what connection she has with the homicides.
“Our detectives have been working tirelessly since these terrible events unfolded,” he said. “We have been relentlessly following up on all leads.”
Milwaukee officials implore community to speak up if they know something about the shootings
Norman was accompanied by Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Ald. Russell Stamper II, who represents the area. Each of them implored community members to report what they know either to police, the city’s Office of Violence Prevention or Crime Stoppers, which accepts tips anonymously.
“We can’t have a city where someone can go and pull the trigger and kill somebody and then go sit on somebody’s couch,” Johnson said. “We can’t have that. When folks see something, they have to step up, you have to say something.”
Both Johnson and Stamper said they spent time growing up in the neighborhood as children. They expressed love for the area but acknowledged the violence has persisted for years.
“It’s unfortunate that all these years later, that an incident like that would occur, on that block, where more than 20 years ago I saw and experienced similarly devastating, violent acts,” Johnson said during a news event Wednesday.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Milwaukee police at 414-935-7360, or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers, at 414-224-Tips or by using the P3 Tips app.
The city’s Office of Violence Prevention can be reached at 414-286-5597. The office houses the city’s team of violence interrupters, called 414Life, which provides mediation services and other resources. It can be reached at 414-439-5525.
Stamper also volunteered his office as another outlet for passing on information about the case. He said he can be contacted at 414-708-0525.
“I’m very, very proud of the district and my community,” Stamper said. “This mass shooting is not representative of this district. It is not representative of this city.”
Contact Ashley Luthern at ashley.luthern@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @aluthern.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 4 persons of interest in custody in Milwaukee homicides of 6 people
