'Multiple gunshot wounds:' Craig Rogers charged in connection with fatal August 2018 shooting

Craig Rogers

MILWAUKEE -- Craig Rogers is now the second person to be charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Eric Williams in August 2018 -- as well as the shooting and wounding of two children, ages 14 and 4.

Rogers, 22, is charged with the following criminal counts:

According to the criminal complaint, police were dispatched to the neighborhood near 10th and Burleigh after the ShotSpotter system "recorded what appeared to be 11 gunshots detected in the street."

Shooting at 10th and Burleigh

When officers arrived on the scene, they found Eric Williams lying face down on the sidewalk. Williams' 4-year-old son was nearby and had "multiple gunshot wounds," the complaint indicates. A third victim, a 14-year-old boy, was also wounded by the gunfire. The teen told officers, "the shooter had been in a white Pontiac G6."

Shooting at 10th and Burleigh

William Burks

The criminal complaint says on the scene of the crime, police located "seven fired 9mm Luger casings." Another officer located five Tulammo fired casings.  Officials said "the recovery of these two casings and these two groupings is consistent with the shooting involving two shooters." Those include Rogers and William Burks, who had been charged in September 2018.

State inmate records show Burks had been released from jail about a month prior to the shooting. He was previously convicted of an attempted robbery.

Craig Rogers intake court appearance

Andre Lee Ellis

"If you keep having access to the guns, the violence, but you don't have access to the jobs, access to more help... it's going to get worse," said Andre Lee Ellis, a man heavily involved in the Milwaukee community.

Ellis says Eric Williams was like a son to him. He told FOX6 the victim protected his 4-year-old son until his last breath.

"I got a call right away that Eric had been shot, and the baby," said Ellis. "The four-year-old survived because his father covered him."

We Got This

Ellis is also the founder of We Got This, a program that mentors young men in the community through the use of a garden.

We Got This

"Until we bring the resources, and the treatments into the community that need it most, trauma is an untreated issue," said Ellis.

He's now focused on helping Williams's young son recover from the trauma of losing his father. And when it comes to Rogers, Ellis said, "I hope the young man is going to prison. I hope he's able to get some services while he's in there -- so that he can get better."

Cash bail for Rogers was set at a total of $130,000.