Milwaukee, WI
Fatal shooting outside Milwaukee bar makes some wonder what more business owners can do
A club on Milwaukee’s northwest side, which had its license suspended 20 days last year out of safety concerns, was the scene of shootings early Sunday that killed a security guard and injured two other people.
The incident happened at 1 a.m. Sunday outside the doors of Eve Lounge, 6222 W. Fond du Lac Ave., after several men were asked to leave and security attempted to de-escalate an argument, according to Thomas Holmes, the business owner.
Police said they seek unknown suspects.
The shooting drew comparisons to other incidents in recent years in which a business removed one or more people from its establishment, only for gun violence to erupt outside the doors.
“It’s a terrible situation,” said Ald. Mark Chambers, who represents the area and voted to suspend Eve Lounge’s license last year. “The bar did exactly what it was supposed to do. They ejected the gentlemen out the club.”
The shootings killed 26-year-old Andre A. Gregory of Milwaukee and wounded two 34-year-olds. The conditions of the two who shot and injured were not released.
Holmes said Gregory was hired through a contractor and worked at the club off and on for about a year. According to social media posts from friends, he attended Vincent High School.
His sister, Jamilla Gregory, set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for funeral expenses. She wrote that her brother was “loved by everyone that had the pleasure of knowing him.”
Holmes called Gregory an excellent worker.
“He was a kind, humble person, quiet,” Holmes said. “He did his job. People loved him, customers loved him. He was one of the best security guards that we had — the overall presentation and the way he handled his position.”
Fight escalated after four men left the club, owner says
At one point earlier in the night, Holmes said, three men entered the club and approached another man who was eating food. Holmes thought things looked tense when he noticed finger-pointing and twice asked them to calm down.
The men apologized and everyone eventually moved outside, along with Holmes and Gregory. There, the confrontation escalated when one man swung at another. Holmes said he and Gregory tried to prevent any physical fight.
However, a vehicle pulled up and additional people climbed out.
“Then all we heard was pop-pop-pop,” Holmes said.
He believes Gregory was not the intended target.
“We’re just dealing with it right now,” Holmes said, when asked how the rest of the staff is doing. “It’s a bad situation.”
2023 shooting at Eve Lounge resulted in license suspension
Eve Lounge came under scrutiny last year with the city’s Licenses Committee, which Chambers sits on, but also received support and words of confidence from community members who spoke at the hearing and from Chambers himself.
The main issue during that June hearing was an incident in February 2023, in which an employee shot another man who rented space in the club’s kitchen.
According to police records, none of the other six employees reported the incident to police. And when officers did arrive, employees were cleaning the place and did not appear to be forthcoming about what happened. Holmes was not on site during the incident.
Chambers said during the hearing it seemed as if the staff tried covering up what happened, according to minutes from the meeting.
Holmes said he had since fired everyone involved in the incident, began instituting background checks to all new hires and would install new security cameras and outdoor lighting.
Although he still voted in favor of a 20-day license suspension, Chambers said at the time he considered Holmes a respectable business owner.
On Monday, when asked if he still had confidence in Holmes, Chambers said, “I don’t know,” saying he was awaiting more information about the incident. He also emphasized the need to allow everyone who knew Gregory to grieve.
“Dealing with stuff like licensing can be handled at another time,” he said. “The community will definitely have an input. That establishment lost a family member. A family lost their son, brother, nephew because of it and two other individuals got hurt.”
Alderman is confident that business took steps to improve safety
But Chambers also felt confident that Holmes took action to improve safety at the club since the 2023 shooting. He said Holmes hosted community meetings, maintained communication with city officials and police and installed more lighting and cameras.
Holmes, and Chambers, to a lesser extent, emphasized that sometimes there is only so much a business can do to prevent violence among its patrons.
Chambers compared the incident to one in 2022, where a worker was shot and killed after a man was denied entry to a downtown club, and to a 2023 shooting, where five people were injured outside of a northwest side bar.
“It’s not entirely on the owner,” he said. “People make decisions.”
Holmes argued there are just too many people carrying guns and not enough of them are considering the lives of others.
“It hasn’t just happened in my establishment. It happens everywhere,” he said. “People need to think and start being more respectful of other people and stop this gun violence. It’s out of control. You go up and down the street and I guarantee you it’s eight out of 10 cars that got guns in them. A lot of it is illegal, but that’s just the way things are now.”
How to contact police
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 use the P3 Tips app.
Where to find conflict mediation and crisis support
- 414Life outreach and conflict mediation support: 414-439-5398
- Milwaukee County’s 24-Hour Mental Health Crisis Line: 414-257-7222
- Milwaukee’s Child Mobile Crisis and Trauma Response Team: 414-257-7621
- National crisis text line: text HOPELINE to 741741 to text with a trained crisis counselor
- National Suicide Prevention Hotline: Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org
Contact Elliot Hughes at elliot.hughes@jrn.com or 414-704-8958. Follow him on X at @elliothughes12.
MILWAUKEE – Forecast from FOX6 Meteorologist Lisa Michaels
Partly sunny skies on Saturday with a slight chance for a few sprinkles or a shower.
Temperatures warmer on Saturday in the mid to upper 60s. Isolated 70s near the border. Breezy with winds gusting near 30mph.
Cooler temperatures in the upper 50s on Sunday (Mother’s Day) with increasing clouds. Patchy frost Saturday night into Sunday and Sunday night into Monday.
Next chance of rain and storms arrives on Tuesday.
Today: Partly sunny. A few showers possible. Breezy.
High: 67°
Wind: NW 10-25
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Patchy frost.
Low: 42°
Wind: NW 5-10
Sunday: Increasing clouds.
High: 57°
Wind: NW 5-15
Monday: Mostly sunny.
AM Low: 39° High: 59°
Wind: E 5-10
Tuesday: Warm and windy. Chance storms.
AM Low: 42° High: 68°
Wind: SW 10-25
Wednesday:Partly sunny.
AM Low: 46° High: 59°
Wind: NW 5-15
Thursday: Mostly sunny.
AM Low: 42° High: 64°
Wind: S 5-10
6-day planner
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Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
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Big picture view:
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
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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 — 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.
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