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, WI
Bobby Portis and his mom share the story behind his foundation while honoring Milwaukee teachers
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — The Bobby Portis Foundation hosted a luncheon Friday at Roosevelt Middle School to honor teachers — many of whom are also mothers — with Mother’s Day and Teacher Appreciation Week overlapping on the calendar.
Portis and his mother, Tina Edwards, spent the day celebrating educators and reflecting on the mission behind the foundation.
“We just want to make sure that we let the teachers know you are appreciated because sometimes it goes beyond being a parent at home, but sometimes teachers are parents at school,” Edwards explained.
Ariel Campos, TMJ4 Sports
For Portis, a forward for the Milwaukee Bucks, the foundation has always been rooted in one person.
“The Bobby Portis Foundation has always just been solely based upon really my mom, and that’s the inspiration behind it,” Portis said.
WATCH: Bobby Portis and his mom share the story behind his foundation
Bobby Portis and his mom share the story behind his foundation while honoring Milwaukee teachers
Growing up, Portis watched his mother raise four boys on her own.
“My mom worked tirelessly to take care of all four of us,” Portis said.
Edwards made sacrifices for her sons from the very beginning — including turning down a basketball scholarship after becoming pregnant with Bobby.
“I still was offered a scholarship after I had him, but I wanted to choose him over ball,” Edwards said.
Tina Edwards
That sacrifice brought her full circle through her son’s career.
“With Bobby becoming an NBA player, he’s living my dream, and I’m living the dream through him,” Edwards shared.
For Portis, the event was an opportunity to honor everything his mother has given him.
“I can’t just put into words what my mom has done for me, not only for my basketball career – that’s just like a small portion of my life – I’m talking about just me as a human being, as a man. I mean, I didn’t have a dad growing up, so my mom played both roles. She did a hell of a job raising not only me but my three other brothers,” Portis said.
His grandmother’s message to spread his blessings continues to drive his work.
“Being able to be in a position now to have a voice, to have a platform, to give back, to help inspire. I try to use it to the best of my abilities,” Portis said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Milwaukee, WI
Food trucks in Milwaukee brace for new curfew
MILWAUKEE — Saturday is the start of the food truck curfew in downtown Milwaukee. That curfew was passed by the Common Council to address safety concerns after several violent incidents.
Alma Juarez is with Tacos Almita on Water Street in downtown Milwaukee. Juarez said since the city passed the curfew, she’s had just over two weeks to adjust.
“We’re trying to think what we’re going to do,” said Juarez. “Maybe we’re going to start in another place or move the food truck after 10 p.m., but that means we have to start over again.”
She said that means she may also have to start building up a news customer base.
“Moving the truck means that… we have to struggle,” said Juarez.
Juarez is not alone in worrying about her financial future.
Last Thursday, a group of owners took their concerns to city hall. Jennifer Martinez, who’s with the food truck known as Tacos El Pastorcito Mixe, was at that demonstration. She said the late-night hours make up roughly 75% of her revenue.
“During the day, I’ve tried opening very early in the morning — 8 a.m. 9 a.m. — it doesn’t make a difference. There’s no… we don’t have much sales throughout the day,” said Martinez.
Ald. Robert Bauman represents downtown and was the sponsor of the ordinance.
Last week he told Spectrum News that he’s aware of the economic burden the truck operators are facing. However, he said safety concerns are a bigger priority.
“And MPD (Milwaukee Police Department) has said on the record repeatedly that food trucks are a major contributing cause for the loitering and disorder that takes place on Water Street,” said Bauman, who represents District 4 in Milwaukee.
He said he’s willing to take a hit on food trucks and prioritize the concerns of larger businesses.
“If they feel that downtown is not safe anymore, they’ll either not come at all, or they’ll leave as soon as their event is over with and not spend any additional money in the downtown area,” said Bauman.
But Juarez said the city shouldn’t have to do that. She said she believes food trucks aren’t the cause of the problem.
“You can see it in any places, but not here,” said Juarez. “It can happen here, but not in front of the food trucks cause they are saying that a lot of violence, a lot of the things that are going on is in front of the food truck. You can see that all the shooting happens after 1 a.m. or 3 a.m. Last shooting, it was after 1 a.m.”
Food truck owners said they hope to continue to turn a profit after the ordinance starts, but they said they face a potentially tough financial future.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee man charged in fatal shooting near 20th and Burleigh
MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man is accused of shooting and killing a 32-year-old after a hit-and-run on the city’s north side in April.
In court:
Milwaukee County prosecutors charged 25-year-old Daniel Evans with first-degree reckless homicide and two counts of felony bail jumping. He’s being held in the Milwaukee County Jail on $100,000 cash bond.
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Court filings said Evans was out on bond for two different felony cases at the time of the shooting. He’d previously been convicted of misdemeanors in two other cases.
Milwaukee County prosecutors also charged 22-year-old Joshua Evans with harboring/aiding a felon in the case. He’s being held in jail on $15,000 cash bond.
Daniel Evans, Joshua Evans
20th and Burleigh
The backstory:
The shooting happened on April 23. The victim, who the medical examiner’s office identified as 32-year-old Terry Brown-Maben, died at the scene near 20th and Burleigh. A criminal complaint said police found nine bullet casings there.
What they’re saying:
A witness told detectives that he and Brown-Maben had just left a liquor store when an SUV rear-ended them at 20th and Hopkins, according to the complaint. He said the crash snapped his car’s axle, and he was upset but told the people in the SUV to “just pull over” because he did not want to make a big deal of it. At the same time as the witness was talking to a passenger in the SUV, he said Brown-Maben was talking to the driver.
Scene near 20th and Burleigh (April 23, 2026)
Court filings said the SUV drove away, and the witness and Brown-Maben began to walk because their car was left inoperable after the hit-and-run crash. A short time later, the witness said the SUV came back, and the passenger started to shoot at them.
The complaint said the witness told detectives that he took Brown-Maben’s gun and hid it after the shooting, adding he did not see Brown-Maben with the weapon before the shooting. The witness was also “adamant” that there had been no confrontation between them and the people in the SUV after the crash.
Shooting investigation
Dig deeper:
Court filings said detectives watched surveillance video that showed an SUV turn near 20th and Burleigh, after which there appeared to be a muzzle flash from the passenger side of the vehicle. Video from the liquor store and a nearby gas station showed the SUV with front-end damage, and showed Joshua Evans getting out of the driver’s door.
Detectives showed the witness photo lineups in an attempt to identify the driver and passenger in the SUV. Court filings said he identified Daniel Evans as the passenger and shooter, but he did not identify Joshua Evans as the driver.
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Police ran the SUV’s license plates, and determined Joshua Evans was the registered owner. When detectives interviewed him, he said he thought he might have been at work or “with a female” that night but identified himself and Daniel Evans in surveillance video from the liquor store.
Another person told police that she spoke to Daniel Evans. According to the complaint, that person said Daniel Evans told her “Josh” hit someone’s car and there was a “shoot out.” When police showed her pictures of the SUV from the liquor store surveillance, she said she “thought it was Josh’s.”
Five days after the homicide, police interviewed someone who was arrested on unrelated charges. Court filings said he told police he’d bought his gun from “the Evans brothers” for $200. Ballistics tests of that gun determined it matched the casings recovered at the homicide scene near 20th and Burleigh.
The Source: FOX6 News went to the shooting scene after it happened. Information in this story is from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.
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