3 charged after murder of beloved housing inspector appear in court; 1 pleads not guilty

MILWAUKEE -- Three young men charged in connection with the murder of 64-year-old Greg "Ziggy" Zyszkiewicz, a beloved City of Milwaukee housing inspector killed during an attempted carjacking on March 22nd were in court Thursday, April 6th for their preliminary hearings.

17-year-old Deshaun Scott, 17-year-old Qhualun Shaw and 21-year-old Eric Smiley face the following charges:

Deshaun Scott, Qhualan Shaw, Eric Smiley

In court on Thursday, Scott and Shaw waived their preliminary hearings and were bound over for trial. Smiley's preliminary hearing proceeded, and an MPD detective testified.

"He stated that he was with the two other individuals that were mentioned, Mr. Scott and Mr. Shaw, and they were driving around in that vehicle that was taken during that armed robbery from that gas station that was the KIA," said Detective Matthew Bell, Milwaukee Police Department. "He stated that after the gunshot occurred, both Mr. Scott and Mr. Shaw ran back to the vehicle, but now Mr. Scott possessed the shotgun. They both got into the vehicle, his vehicle that he was driving, the stolen KIA, and he fled from the scene."

Probable cause was found for further proceedings, and Smiley pleaded not guilty. The commissioner concluded there was enough evidence for the case to go to trial.

All three will be back in court on April 25th for scheduling conferences.

Bail has been set as follows for these three young men:

Housing inspector with 33 years experience shot, killed near 23rd and Cherry

According to a criminal complaint, "the three began a crime spree (on March 22nd) in a Toyota that had been stolen several weeks earlier. They drove that Toyota to a gas station to rob a person and obtain a second car, a Kia. From there they continued and tried to get a third car, a Mustang, but that incident ended with a homicide and the Mustang was not taken.

Later that day, the young men were caught in police chases involving both the Kia and Toyota.

Housing inspector with 33 years experience shot, killed near 23rd and Cherry

The complaint goes on to say "each defendant gave a statement implicating himself and the other two defendants."

As it relates to the fatal shooting of Greg Zyszkiewicz, the complaint says Deshaun Scott, the alleged gunman, "was riding in the Kia with Shaw and Smiley, looking for a car to take for Scott. Smiley was driving the Kia. They saw the victim on Cherry Street and made a couple U-turns past him. They stopped so they could rob him of the car. Scott got out with the shotgun, which had the butt sawed off and taped. Scott approached the victim and told him not to move. As Scott was adjusting his hand on the shotgun, it went off. He ran back to the Kia, and the three drove away."

Greg "Ziggy" Zyszkiewicz

Shaw's statement to police said "Scott fired the gun. Scott and Shaw ran back to the Kia, and Scott said that he fired the gun because he panicked when the victim grabbed for him."

Lastly, Smiley's statement indicated he "heard the shot and saw that Scott now had the shotgun."

Deshaun Scott

The complaint indicates Scott fled the homicide scene in the Toyota. Around 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, officers spotted the Toyota near 26th and Auer in Milwaukee. Officers activated their squad's lights and siren to stop the Toyota. The complaint says the "Toyota disregarded these signals, sped up, ran several stop signs and stop lights, and ultimately crashed into a fence and tree, causing it to stop." Two persons inside the Toyota, Scott and one other person, were pinned inside the Toyota. The complaint says they "exited through the sun roof and were caught after a foot chase." Scott "had the key fob for the Toyota" and an officer identified him as the driver of the Toyota. The complaint says the "other occupant was a juvenile male."

Stolen car crashes near 27th and Hope

Eric Smiley

Around 6:00 p.m., police identified the stolen Kia in this case being driven near 25th and Chambers in Milwaukee. The complaint says "officers activated their squad's lights and siren to stop the Kia. The Kia disregarding these signals, sped up, ran several stop signs, and went the wrong way on a one-way street." Moments later, other officers spotted the Kia near 20th and Finn Streets. Again, the complaint indicates the Kia "accelerated away from them and ran several stop signs, gaining distance on the squad. The Kia stopped near 18th and Nash Streets, and the occupants fled on foot." Smiley, Shaw and a third person were all taken into custody a short time later. An officer identified Smiley as the person driving the Kia.

Stolen car abandoned at 18th and Nash

Qhualun Shaw

According to the criminal complaint, Smiley was convicted of felony theft in June 2016. He was not allowed to possess a firearm but "remained released on bail in that case with a condition that he commit no new crime." Court records also show Smiley was out on bail in another case involving felon in possession of a firearm and felony bail jumping.

As for Qhualun Shaw, the complaint says he was out on bail in a felony case of operating a motor vehicle without the owner's consent. A "condition of his bond is that he commit no crime."

As for the domestic violence charge against Smiley, the complaint says it stems from an alleged incident that happened around 11:00 a.m. on March 22nd. The complaint indicates Smiley called the mother of his six-month-old child, "asking if he could come get their son. She told him no." A short time later, Smiley apparently pulled up at the woman's house "carrying a sawed off shotgun." The complaint says she yelled at Smiley "to get away, and he pounded on the house with the shotgun." The two apparently argued outside and "he punched her in the face several times and bit her arm." The complaint goes on to say when Smiley tried to leave, "she tried to put the Kia in park so he would be there when the police arrived. He ended up grabbing her until she let go of the steering wheel." When police did arrive, Smiley was gone and the woman "had swelling to her eye and bite marks to her arm."

Greg "Ziggy" Zyszkiewicz and family

The family of Greg "Ziggy" Zyszkiewicz this week released a statement of thanks for all of the support since the fatal shooting of Zyszkiewicz.

Zyszkiewicz's middle daughter released the statement which reads as follows: