Kenosha shooting: Pregnant woman killed, gun bought hours earlier
KENOSHA, Wis. - Kenosha County prosecutors have charged a Racine woman with buying the gun used in the Sept. 6 killing of a pregnant woman.
Prosecutors accuse 22-year-old Kaliyah Patterson of buying a gun for Lawrence Franklin Jr. Hours after the purchase, prosecutors say Franklin used the weapon to shoot and kill Amiah Prather.
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Prather, 22, was shot on 65th Street near 13th Avenue. Police responded around 4:30 p.m. that Friday and found her in an SUV that was resting against a concrete pillar of a viaduct. She was 8 months pregnant, according to a criminal complaint, and both she and the unborn child died.
Kaliyah Patterson and Lawrence Franklin Jr.
Investigators believe Lawrence shot and killed Prather; the complaint states they'd been "seeing each other for several years." Kenosha police said, while his actions were not random, they want everyone to know that he should be considered armed and dangerous.
Prosecutors said video showed a man wearing a maroon hoodie, later identified as Franklin, running from Prather's SUV as it rolled into the pillar. The man returned to the SUV shortly after and appeared to be holding a gun in one hand and a bottle of alcohol in the other.
Near the scene, the complaint states officers found what appeared to be the same alcohol bottle Franklin was holding. A gun was found 37 feet away from the bottle.
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Investigators traced the gun to Patterson, per the complaint. Records showed it was purchased earlier that same day in Paddock Lake. Surveillance video from that store showed Franklin with Patterson as she bought it. It also showed Franklin gave Patterson a credit card to make the purchase.
Kaliyah Patterson
Once in custody, prosecutors said Patterson admitted Franklin asked her to buy the gun. She said she filled out the purchase form because she had never been convicted of a felony – but Franklin paid for it. She said she did not know Franklin was a convicted felon but did know he'd previously been arrested.
In court
Patterson is charged with one count of straw purchasing a firearm. She made her initial court appearance on Tuesday, and her cash bond was set at $50,000.
Kenosha fatal shooting; suspect considered armed and dangerous
The man wanted for the homicide of Amiah Prather and her unborn child is still on the run, and is considered armed and dangerous.
Court records show a warrant is out for Franklin's arrest. In all, he is charged with:
- First-degree intentional homicide
- First-degree intentional homicide (unborn child)
- Possession of a firearm by a felon
- Felony bail jumping (four counts)