Milwaukee gas station shooting; hearing for accused guard on hold
MILWAUKEE - The gas station security guard accused of killing a Milwaukee man over stolen snack cakes was scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, Aug. 30. But the hearing did not happen.
William Pinkin, 56, was supposed to appear for his preliminary hearing – the first step toward a trial. But because Pinkin did not have an attorney, the hearing was put on hold.
"I know we got a long road ahead," said Natalie Easter, Isaiah Allen's mother.
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Family members of Allen, 29, told FOX6 News they will not rest until justice is served.
"We are going to be there until the end," said Carisha Allen, Allen's aunt.
Isaiah Allen
Prosecutors say surveillance video shows Allen walking out of a Milwaukee gas station near Teutonia and Roosevelt on Aug. 16 with snack cakes in hand. He did not pay for them. Police say that is when the security guard, Pinkin, shot and killed Allen.
"All of us are flawed, but my son didn’t deserve this," Easter said.
Natalie Easter, Isaiah Allen's mother
This is Pinkin's second time being on trial for murder – after being convicted in 1990. Officials say he was released from prison earlier this year.
"The system failed him. He was falling through the cracks," Easter said. "I think if they were supervising him more closely since he already did x amount of years for a murder, which he already should’ve gotten life for to begin with, then he wouldn’t have been here to take my son’s life."
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No matter how long the process takes, Allen's relatives say they will be there to see it through.
"I just want to make my face seen at every single court. I’m not going to miss a court date," Easter said. "It doesn’t matter if it’s a scheduling conference, it doesn’t matter what it is, I’m going to be there every step of the way…because he took something that he shouldn’t have took from me."
Gas station shooting near Teutonia and Roosevelt, Milwaukee
"We’re missing a part of our family. We were whole…and right now we ain't," Carisha Allen said.
The judge scheduled a hearing where they will confirm if Pinkin has been appointed an attorney or not. That hearing is set for the morning of Sept. 8. Once it is confirmed Pinkin is being represented, another preliminary hearing will be scheduled.