Prosecutors: Milwaukee man shot, wounded 2 men in separate crimes in 24 hours

Anwar Maxwell



MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee man stands accused of shooting two men in 24 hours, and prosecutors said both of the incidents involved crack cocaine.

Anwar Maxwell, 40, faces two counts of first-degree reckless injury, as party to a crime, use of a dangerous weapon.

The first shooting happened around 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 15 near 11th Street and Lapham Boulevard.

According to a criminal complaint, the 41-year-old victim said he was at home with a group of people when a 48-year-old man asked if some other people could come over to store or sell crack cocaine there. Those other people arrived a couple hours later, and the 41-year-old man indicated they asked if they could sell cocaine out of his apartment, which he denied, but he said he did allow them to use a plate to bag it up. He said the 48-year-old man showed him a handgun he had with him.

Thirty minutes later, the 41-year-old said his 39-year-old neighbor knocked on the door. The 41-year-old said he wasn't going to open the door, but his neighbor kept knocking. He said he opened it slightly and saw his neighbor and two other who had handguns. One was later identified as Anwar Maxwell, the complaint said.

Prosecutors said Maxwell pushed the door open, and as the 41-year-old man ran down the hallway, he was shot on his upper leg and left buttock.

The 48-year-old witness provided a similar explanation of events -- indicating that someone knocked on the door, the 41-year-old victim answered, Maxwell started shooting, and everyone tried to run and hide.

Shooting investigation near 11th and Lapham in Milwaukee



The next day, around 11 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 16, on 10th Street near Greenfield Avenue, the 48-year-old witness said he entered a van to purchase crack cocaine when a white SUV pulled up with tinted windows. The 48-year-old said he felt uncomfortable so he started walking toward Greenfield Avenue when the driver of the white SUV exited with a handgun and started firing. The 48-year-old suffered gunshot wounds to his face, and upper right back. Maxwell was identified as the shooter, prosecutors said.

In the hours after the shooting, police initially said the victim in the 10th and Greenfield shooting was a suspect in the 11th and Lapham shooting. Police also initially said the 11th and Lapham shooting was a double shooting. Prosecutors noted in the complaint, "This complaint contains a summary of facts necessary to establish probable cause. It does not contain all of the facts known to complainant that may be relevant to this investigation."

Maxwell made his initial appearance in court on Thursday, Feb. 20. Cash bond was set at $15,000, and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for March 2.