17th and Capitol shooting
MILWAUKEE - Jermaine Mitchell, 16, of Milwaukee, is charged as an adult in connection with a February shooting near 17th and Capitol that left the 15-year-old victim in a coma. Prosecutors say the gun used was linked to 17 other incidents, including two homicides, all of which are "related to relentless gang activity between warring groups."
The shooting happened Feb. 2. The victim was found in a basement with a gunshot wound to the face.
A criminal complaint says a witness identified "Maine" as the shooter, telling investigators "Maine" and others belonging to the "Road to Millions" gang were in the basement when she heard one gunshot. All of the boys ran up from the basement and out of the home.
Investigators found three 9mm cartridges at the scene, along with one 9mm spent casing. Again, prosecutors say investigators linked this weapon to 17 gang-related incidents, including two homicides on Oct. 16, 2022 and Jan. 23, 2023.
Prosecutors say in one 911 call from that night, someone in the background says "I told you, Maine, put the (expletive) gun down." In another 911 call, the complaint says the victim is heard saying "Jermaine" is the one who shot her.
Additionally, the complaint says one witness gave police a description of the shooter and identified him as Mitchell via a photo array, telling investigators Mitchell was "running upstairs with a gun in right hand, and it was said mult. times that he was the shooter."
After the shooting, neighbors said three to four males were seen running in the area. Cameras caught three trying to climb onto a porch to hide, the complaint says.
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One of them, who happens to be the suspect in the above-mentioned Jan. 23 homicide, was interviewed by police and told investigators they were in the basement smoking marijuana that night. He said "Maine" and two others were wrestling on the bed where the gun was. He said he heard a shot and saw the victim on the ground. He said he then ran out of the house.
According to the complaint, he indicated that the gun used in this shooting belonged to a dead gang member who was accidentally shot while at a fellow gang member's home while others were playing with a firearm. After that, the gun was "passed around the friend group," he said, but this witness denied ever handling it. However, prosecutors noted that he is a suspect in the Jan. 23 homicide of an opposing gang member.
Mitchell is charged with first-degree reckless injury, use of a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent and possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18.
He made his initial appearance in court June 23. Cash bond was set at $50,000.