Milwaukee, WI
Davion Patterson, 15, died amid ‘chaos.’ A Milwaukee man responsible is going to prison
ICE defends handling of five-year-old in Minnesota
ICE officials say they did not target a 5-year-old during an attempt to detain his father and says the child is in the “least restrictive setting.”
This would have been Davion Patterson’s senior year in high school.
Graduation would have been right around the corner. Tiera Carter says she would’ve been right there, chest out, proud to watch her son march across the stage to pick up his diploma.
That didn’t happen.
Davion was 15 when he was shot to death as a gunman opened fire into a crowd of young onlookers who had gathered on Milwaukee’s north side to witness a fistfight between two girls.
“I will never be OK. Never,” Carter said at a Jan. 23 sentencing hearing for Romello Littlejohn, the man convicted of killing her first-born son. “His little brother will never know who he is, except for new pictures and us telling him stories about him.”
Littlejohn was 16 when he opened fire on a group that had gathered near 15th Street and Concordia Avenue nearly three years ago.
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge John Franke sentenced Littlejohn, now 18, to spend the next 25 years behind bars.
A jury found Littlejohn guilty in December of first-degree reckless homicide as a party to a crime and various other felonies in connection with the deadly March 20, 2023, shooting that killed Davion and injured five other people.
Here’s what prosecutors say happened to Davion Patterson
A group assembled at North 15th Street and Concordia Avenue as a street fight between two girls got underway.
According to a criminal complaint, Littlejohn threatened to “pop” anyone who harmed his sister, who was involved in the fight.
Moments later, shots rang out. As many as 30 of them, Assistant District Attorney Ian Vance-Curzan said.
Davion suffered 11 gunshot wounds and died.
Five others suffered injuries.
One of them, now an 18-year-old woman, was shot in the back by Littlejohn. She testified she laid on the ground next to Davion after the shooting.
However, she was unable to stand or run for cover as bullets whizzed by; she was temporarily paralyzed after the shooting, but is now able to walk after undergoing multiple surgeries.
“This was an incident of chaos and madness,” Vance-Curzan said.
Several of those who showed up to watch the fight captured video on their cellphones. Some of the footage was shown during Littlejohn’s five-day trial.
Defense attorney William Sulton reminded the judge none of the bullets that killed him were matched to the weapon that Littlejohn fired.
People on the scene, including some victims who survived the shooting, said another person whom they identified also had a gun and was seen shooting during the fracas.
Vance-Curzan said another firearm was recovered at the scene, but no one else has been charged in the incident. Littlejohn needed to be held accountable for Davion’s death and the other injuries because he put things in motion by starting the shooting, he said.
Carter said the last two mental images she has of her son still make her emotional.
One is that of Davion cleaning the kitchen. The moment came before the shooting, and, ultimately, became the last “happy” memory she has of him.
The other was of Davion lying in a casket.
“[Littlejohn] does not deserve to have a life. My son’s life was taken. He does not deserve to have a life,” Carter said.
“What he did was malicious. He does not … deserve to get out. He deserves to die himself, just like my son died.”
Littlejohn’s mother, Sheila Jones, pleaded for leniency and less prison time for her son, arguing he has matured since the shooting.
“He’s redeemable,” she said.
The shooter spoke. What did he tell the judge?
Littlejohn spoke during the 90-minute hearing, saying he didn’t intend to shoot anyone, adding he was intoxicated at the time and “wasn’t using my right mindset.”
He said he has sat up every night, trying to think of a better solution for what happened, but hasn’t come up with one.
Littlejohn pleaded Franke to give him “a second chance on life,” so he could return to his family one day, and watch his nieces and brothers grow up.
Why did the case take nearly three years to get to this point?
Lawyers for Littlejohn tried to get his case moved into juvenile court. They argued he’d get better treatment within the juvenile system, citing his age at the time of the killing.
Court records show a judge in October 2023 rejected an appeal to have his case waived into juvenile court.
Since then, the court received a half dozen letters of support for Littlejohn, many of them from juvenile justice personnel.
Franke also ordered Littlejohn to serve 20 years of extended supervision once he is finished with his prison time. Littlejohn was given 1,048 days of in-custody credit, which can be applied to his sentence.
A restitution hearing has been set for Feb. 19. Vance-Curzan requested that Littlejohn be made to pay $5,300 to cover funeral costs.
Chris Ramirez covers courts for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at caramirez@gannett.com.
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Several Milwaukee leaders are condemning recent Immigrations and Customs Enforcement activity in the city, though questions remain whether actions meant to limit the agency within city limits can be enforced.
The group led by U.S. Congresswoman Gwen Moore expressed anger at the nature of the at least 57 confirmed arrests made by ICE agents across Wisconsin during “targeted operations” that began in late June.
“They’re being kidnapped. They’re being disappeared. They’re being rushed through a judicial process without due process because they don’t have any money. And we’re here to decry that,” said Moore during a press conference July 9.
Back in April, Milwaukee Common Council members unanimously passed one of the key pieces of their “ICE Out MKE” package: an ordinance that prohibited ICE agents from wearing masks while working in the city. But the Department of Homeland Security has indicated they will not adhere to the ordinance, with representatives asserting the US Constitution’s Supremacy Clause allows for federal laws to supersede any local ordinance.
“State and local sanctuary politicians attempting to ban our federal law enforcement from wearing masks is despicable and a flagrant attempt to endanger our officers,” said an ICE spokesperson in a statement to WTMJ. “To be crystal clear: we will not abide by unconstitutional bans. The Supremacy Clause makes it clear that state and local sanctuary politicians do not control federal law enforcement.”
During the recent arrests, ICE agents were spotted by groups like Voces de la Frontera wearing masks despite the ordinance. Agents also used the Milwaukee Police Department District 2 parking lot for staging purposes, which is against another “ICE Out” city ordinance. A statement from MPD said they were not told in advance that ICE intended to use the parking lot, and then asked them to leave.
No citations have been written by Milwaukee Police against any agents who have violated the mask ban, with the department citing the need for legal clarity from City Attorney Evan Goyke.
“We’re waiting to see what the city attorney’s advice will be on that,” said Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson July 9 when asked by WTMJ if any of the “ICE Out” package is enforceable.
ICE says those arrested will remain in custody pending removal proceedings.
TOP STORIES FROM THE WTMJ NEWSROOM:
Milwaukee Police Department (MPD)
MILWAUKEE – A shooting in Milwaukee on Wednesday, July 8 left one person wounded.
11th and Locust
What we know:
According to the Milwaukee Police Department, a 23-year-old was shot around 6:30 p.m. near 11th and Locust.
The victim arrived at the hospital for treatment.
The circumstances leading up to the shooting are under investigation.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
MPD tips
What you can do:
Milwaukee police are seeking information to identify a suspect in connection with this incident.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Milwaukee police at 414-935-7360 or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or P3 Tips.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by the Milwaukee Police Department.
Milwaukee community members gathered at pop-up events across the northwest side Wednesday as part of “Peace on Every Block,” a week of activities aimed at building community, mentorship and sharing resources for violence prevention.
The week is organized by Advance Peace Milwaukee, Milwaukee Community Cross Roads and Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services.
“We want to see everybody win, and that’s the whole theme about it, about healing, coming together, stopping the violence,” Desilynn Smith of Uniting Garden Homes said.
Lorenzo Davis of Advance Peace said the northwest side was a deliberate focus for the effort.
“Because this is where the gun violence is happening, and we’re trying to end the gun violence in the city of Milwaukee. We really want to do what’s best for Milwaukee,” Davis said.
The Milwaukee Police Department reported a 30 percent drop in homicides during the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year. But community members say that progress doesn’t always reflect what people are experiencing on the ground.
Watch: ‘Peace on Every Block’ brings Milwaukee community together to fight gun violence
‘Peace on Every Block’ brings Milwaukee community together to fight gun violence
“The data doesn’t lie, that’s true, but when it’s like every day we’re hearing about a shooting, or we’re so connected to it, and so many people connected to it, it just doesn’t appear that way,” Smith said.
The events come as Milwaukee has seen several violent deaths in recent days. 42-year-old Kristy Syed was found shot to death on Milwaukee’s south side.
The Medical Examiner’s Office also identified 19-year-old Savannah Lynn, who was killed after gunfire broke out following a fight on the Fourth of July.
Nine-year-old Jade Riser died after a shooting that happened near East Burleigh Street last Thursday.
Smith said healing is central to any lasting change.
“If we don’t heal, we can’t stop anything, because violence is actually the secondary emotion that is really driven off a lot of pain,” Smith said.
Davis said the young people in these neighborhoods are ready for something better.
“They want to see a better inside Milwaukee. They want to see a better chance for Milwaukee, and they want to do something better for themselves. So, these kids out here, we promote peace with them, and we’re going to back them, and we want to see them win,” Davis said.
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