Milwaukee shooting outside smoke shop; teen faces charges
Marquon Howard
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee teen is accused in connection with a shooting outside a smoke shop near 39th and Capitol on July 4. The accused is Marquon Howard, 17, and he faces the following criminal counts:
- First-degree recklessly endangering safety
- Possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18
According to the criminal complaint, Milwaukee police were dispatched to a report of a shooting outside a smoke shop near 39th and Capitol on Thursday, July 4. When officers arrived on the scene, they found a man in a nearby driveway.
Shooting scene at 39th and Capitol, Milwaukee
A detective responded to Children's Wisconsin during the course of the investigation -- and met with the defendant, Marquon Howard. The complaint says at the time, it had not yet been determined that Howard played a role in the incident. Howard told the detective he was walking in an alley with two people towards the smoke shop. In front of the shop, there was a Jeep and the driver "may have said something to them but that he did not hear what was said," the complaint says. Howard said the two people he was with went towards the Jeep, he followed, "and that (one person) fired at the driver and the driver returned fire. Howard stated that he ran and realized he was shot and laid down in the grass in front of a residence," the complaint says.
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Later, the detective conducted a Mirandized interview with Howard. Howard stated that the third person in their group was the one that shot. Howard "stated that he did not hear what the driver of the Jeep said because he was the first person inside of the smoke shop." The complaint says he also "stated that he is not dumb enough to shoot himself, and he does not have a firearm."
Shooting scene at 39th and Capitol, Milwaukee
The detective learned at Children's Wisconsin that Howard suffered one bullet strike. He also "determined through the surveillance video and Howard's pants recovered at the hospital that Howard likely did shoot himself in the leg when putting the firearm, seen in the video, in his pants," the complaint says. The detective noted in the complaint that "the pants recovered had no bullet strike to them."
According to the criminal complaint, surveillance video shows Howard's friend exiting the smoke shop and firing shots at the Jeep. "Howard then exits and fires a shot at the black Jeep," the complaint says.
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The driver of the Jeep was later stopped in Brookfield for a traffic violation -- and the vehicle had a bullet strike on the front passenger side.
Shooting scene at 39th and Capitol, Milwaukee
Howard made his initial appearance in Milwaukee County court on Tuesday, July 9. A signature bond of $3,000 was set.