Father killed outside Milwaukee bar, man gets 2 years in prison
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man has been sentenced to two years in prison for a 2023 shooting that killed a father of three.
Ricardo Valdez, 30, pleaded guilty in January to homicide by negligent handling of a dangerous weapon. He was originally charged with first-degree reckless homicide in the death of LeRoy Price.
In addition to prison time, Valdez was sentenced to two years of extended supervision.
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Case details
According to a criminal complaint, Price was pronounced dead at the scene near 13th and Euclid on June 25, 2023 despite life-saving attempts. Family members said Price was near a fight when shots were fired and was caught in the crossfire.
Investigators found surveillance video of the fight. The complaint states it showed Valdez was one of two people involved – the other person wearing a white t-shirt with a backpack. In the video, prosecutors said Valdez grabbed a gun from that person while saying "gimme that, gimme that."
Leroy Price
The complaint states Valdez pointed the gun at the person he was fighting, but it was not fired at that time. When the fight shifted into the camera's view, though, a single shot was fired and a "second shot goes off." Valdez was then seen running with the gun to a light-colored Mercedes-Benz.
Detectives were able to get other surveillance videos in the area which allowed them to get a license plate on the Mercedes-Benz. Investigators later determined the car was registered to Valdez.
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After conducting surveillance on Valdez's home, the complaint states authorities stopped the Mercedez-Benz for a traffic violation and identified the driver as Valdez. A passenger in the car was shown some of the surveillance video from the 13th and Euclid shooting, and the passenger identified Valdez getting out of the driver's seat in that video.
A search warrant of Valdez's home allowed investigators to recover a black t-shirt and jogging pants – both of which "matched the description of what was observed in the video from the homicide scene."