'You gonna shoot me?' Charges filed in road rage shooting that injured 5-year-old girl
MILWAUKEE -- Charges were filed Monday, July 29 against the man prosecutors say shot a 5-year-old girl following a road rage incident near 44th and Keefe on Thursday, July 25.
Anthony Jenkins, 35, of Milwaukee, faces one count of endangering safety by reckless use of a firearm, and two counts of first degree recklessly endangering safety, use of a dangerous weapon.
The shooting happened around 10:45 a.m. An arrest was made around 3 p.m. Thursday.
The shooting was captured by surveillance cameras. The video showed two vehicles that turned onto 44th Street. A green conversion van passed a silver sedan carrying the 5-year-old girl. Police said a preliminary investigation revealed words were exchanged between the drivers of the vehicles, before the shooter exited his vehicle and fired into the other vehicle, striking the 5-year-old girl, who has been treated and released from the hospital. The video showed the silver sedan was pulling away when the van's driver fired.
According to a criminal complaint, investigators spoke with the father of the 5-year-old girl, who was driving the silver sedan that day. He said he was coming home from Burger King, with his daughter in the back seat, when he noticed the green van tailgating him. He said he stopped his vehicle, and the van drove around him, and stopped near his driver's side door. He said the driver, later identified as Jenkins, "began yelling (at him) about driving too slow." He said Jenkins got out of his van and walked to the front of it, and the father noticed a handgun in his waistband. The father drove forward in an effort to get away from Jenkins, and Jenkins then pulled out the gun and began shooting.
Anthony Jenkins
The 5-year-old girl was struck in her left leg, and the vehicle was also hit, the complaint said.
The complaint said during the investigation, after looking at the surveillance video, police found a photo of a green Chevy Express van for sale on Facebook Marketplace -- matching the van that was seen in the video. The complaint said the post was about one week old, and showed the van's license plate number. Investigators learned the van was registered to an individual living with Jenkins. Officers went to the address and arrested Jenkins. The complaint said he was wearing the same clothing seen in the surveillance video, and the handgun was in his waistband.
Investigators spoke with Jenkins, who said the vehicle containing the 5-year-old girl, a Chrysler 3000, "was going slow" and eventually "came to an abrupt stop." He said when he heard someone yell from the Chrysler, he stopped his van. He said the driver of the Chrysler pulled alongside his van and "started to yell at him." He said an argument ensued, and he told the other driver to pull over if he wanted to argue. He said the driver of the Chrysler was armed with a black, semi-automatic pistol. Jenkins said he got out of his van and said, "You gonna shoot me? Go -- just go then." He said he "never saw the little girl in the car." He said when the Chrysler pulled away, he pulled out his pistol and fired. He said he wasn't sure how many times he fired.
Anthony Jenkins
Jenkins made his initial appearance in court on Monday. Probable cause was found for further proceedings, and cash bond was set at $75,000. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 6.
Brooklyn Harris, Antonio Bratcher
Thursday's shooting happened in the wake of the July 13 road rage shooting that took the life of 3-year-old Brooklyn Harris. It happened on the same day the suspect in that case, Antonio Bratcher, appeared in court for his preliminary hearing -- and pleaded not guilty.
Harris' death was the most recent of a child in southeastern Wisconsin in recent weeks.
On June 22, a 5-year-old boy in Milwaukee died after prosecutors say his father punched him because he ate some of the cheesecake the man had gotten for Father's Day. The father was charged with reckless homicide.
Another 5-year-old boy died in Milwaukee after authorities say he found a gun inside a home and killed himself. A 25-year-old man was charged with neglecting a child resulting in the June 18 death.
Authorities said a boy also 5 fatally shot himself on June 17 with a gun he found at a home in Kenosha, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Milwaukee. He died at a hospital after being left there. Two men, both 24, were charged — one of them with homicide by negligent handling of a dangerous weapon.