Milwaukee woman accused; fired shot at motel, punched nurse

MILWAUKEE - A 40-year-old Milwaukee woman is accused of firing a shot at a south side motel and striking a nurse on the way to the hospital. The accused is Nina Wheeler – and she faces the following criminal counts: 

• Possession of a firearm by a felon
• Disorderly conduct
• Bodily harm to a health care provider

According to the criminal complaint, Milwaukee police were dispatched to the Red Lotus Inn motel near 27th and Layton early on Tuesday, June 27 for a woman with a gun who fired shots in the air. When officers arrived on the scene, they made contact with the woman "who was in the lobby of the motel arguing with an employee behind the counter glass window...about receiving a refund for her room because she was checking out of the hotel earlier than she was saying," the complaint says.

Officers spoke with witnesses at the motel. One person said she and her family were cleaning the garage in the back part of the motel when they saw a white SUV with a trailer on it near the garage entrance. When the witnesses walked near the SUV, the complaint says "the defendant stepped out yelling at them to get away from her stuff. The defendant then fired a single gunshot into the air and drove her SUV to the front of the motel." Another witness provided police with a similar recollection of the events.

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The complaint says officers located a spent casing in the area where the witnesses stated the shot was fired. In addition, "officers observed ammunition in plain view in the SUV. The defendant also indicated that the gun was in the vehicle. Officers recovered a Ruger firearm from the truck," the complaint says.

The defendant was taken to St. Luke's Medical Center. While en route to the emergency room, the complaint says "the defendant became increasingly upset. While being conveyed on the gurney, the defendant struck a nurse in the face with her fist causing pain, swelling and redness."

The complaint notes that while the defendant was in custody at District 6 Police Station, "she created several disturbances and was combative. During one combative incident, the defendant yelled that she shot in the air because she thought people were trying to steal her stuff."

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Wheeler made his initial appearance in Milwaukee County court on Saturday, July 1. Cash bond was set at $3,000.