Milwaukee fatal shooting; 2 charged with reckless homicide
Brandon Taylor; Angel Saldana
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man and teen are now charged in connection to a July 2 fatal shooting on the city's south side.
Brandon Taylor, 18, and Angel Saldana, 17, are each charged with first-degree reckless homicide and possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent. Taylor is also charged with felony bail jumping.
According to a criminal complaint, Milwaukee police responded to 28th and Burnham in response to a call about a shooting on July 2. When officers got there, they found the victim in the backseat of a car with a gunshot wound. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
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The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office identified the victim as 19-year-old Carlos Lopez. An autopsy found he was shot once in the back of the head and a second time in the leg.
Police spoke to multiple people who were in the car with Lopez, who they say had arranged to buy a gun near 28th and Burnham. Each of those people said two men approached the car; one of whom had a gun and went to the back door where Lopez was.
28th and Burnham shooting
Per the complaint, one of the people said "suddenly the man tried to snatch the money" that Lopez had, and the driver of the car took off. The driver told police he heard gunfire and "only went a short ways" before the car got "struck in a construction hole."
Another person told police two suspects ran to a nearby house. There, police found Taylor – who was 17 years old at the time. The complaint said, outside the house in a garbage dumpster, police found a tan handgun with an extended magazine. Police searched the streets near the shooting and found four bullet casings.
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When police interviewed Taylor, the complaint states he said the plan was to take Lopez's money without giving him the gun – which Saldana provided. Taylor said he tried to grab the money from Lopez, but failed to get ahold of it. As the car drove away, Taylor said it was Saldana who shot at the car; Taylor denied that he shot any gun.
Taylor added, per the complaint, that the gun he was trying to "sell" was the one found in the dumpster.
Court records indicate Taylor made an initial court appearance July 7 and received a $150,000 cash bond. Saldana also received a $150,000 cash bond during his initial appearance on July 26.