Arrest warrant for man accused of killing attorney in road rage shooting
MILWAUKEE - An arrest warrant has been issued for a Milwaukee man accused of fatally shooting Jason Cleereman, a Milwaukee immigration attorney, during a road rage incident near Brady Street and Holton Street on Sept. 22. Prosecutors say he was out on bond at the time of the shooting in separate cases -- released in March.
Theodore Edgecomb, Jason Cleereman
Theodore Edgecomb,30, faces one count of first-degree reckless homicide, use of a dangerous weapon, one count of felony bail jumping and a third count of misdemeanor bail jumping.
Cleereman died from a single gunshot wound to his head, an autopsy revealed. He also suffered blunt force injuries to his face.
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A criminal complaint says Cleereman's wife told investigators she was driving westbound on Brady with both the driver's side and passenger's side windows down when she saw a man on a bicycle headed east in the westbound lanes. She said she had to swerve to miss him, and Cleereman said, "What the heck!"
At the light at Humboldt and Brady, the bicyclist pulled alongside them, leaning into the front passenger window, asking Cleereman, "Are you talking to me?" When Cleereman said, "Yes," he was punched, and began bleeding, according to prosecutors.
Jason Cleereman
The bicyclist then continued west on Brady, turning north at Holton and Brady. Cleereman's wife said Cleereman told her to turn north on Holton, where he got out of the vehicle.
At this point, Cleereman's wife said her husband approached the bicyclist, and she saw that the bicyclist had a gun. She said she yelled to her husband about the gun, but "he did not hear her." She then saw the man shoot her husband before looking at her "as though he was contemplating shooting her."
Fatal shooting near Brady and Holton, Milwaukee
The criminal complaint points out that police recovered surveillance video from several locations, showing the shooting. Prosecutors noted video frames were shown to MPD's primary bicycle mechanic -- who identified the bicycle as a GMC Denali.
In the meantime, prosecutors said the mother of Theodore Edgecomb's children and his cousin identified him as the bicyclist in the video.
The complaint said after the shooting, he was caught on camera carrying his bike down to Water Street. Cameras at Water and Humboldt showed him pulling his shirt over a bulge in his waistband, consistent with a firearm, before continuing east on Water Street toward the Beerline Trail. Prosecutors believe Edgecomb stored his bicycle at his Milwaukee home after the shooting -- and found it in the basement when a search warrant was executed days later. Investigators also found a Ruger SR9 9mm handgun magazine loaded with 10 brass 9mm unfired cartridges, and a second unloaded 9mm Ruger magazine.
According to prosecutors, Edgecomb has two open cases -- one out of Waukesha County in which he faces six misdemeanors -- released on $250 cash bail in March. He's charged with six misdemeanors in a case out of Milwaukee County and was released on a $1,500 PR bond in March.
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MPD seeks man accused of killing attorney after 'traffic mishap'
Police said the shooter was riding a bicycle and was involved in "an altercation" with the victim shortly before 8 p.m.
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Milwaukee immigration attorney gunned down 'over a traffic mishap'
The medical examiner identified the victim as Jason Cleereman, 54. His sister said he and his wife were headed home when the argument happened on the Holton Street Bridge.