Racine fatal shooting, 17th and Packard; 18-year-old charged
RACINE, Wis. - An 18-year-old Racine man is charged with first-degree intentional homicide in connection with the fatal shooting of a man on Sept. 1. The accused is Bernard Edwards.
According to the criminal complaint, Racine officers were dispatched to an apartment inside the Gold Medal Lofts on Packard Avenue in Racine on Sept. 1. When they arrived, officers found the victim inside the apartment with a gunshot wound. The victim was taken to a hospital -- and later died from his injuries. Police identified the victim as Byron Beadles. Officers located one fired 9mm casing near the victim's body in the apartment.
Investigators spoke with a couple of people who were inside the apartment when they arrived. One indicated a male, Black showed up at the residence with another person -- he was "dressed in all black with a black ski mask on," the complaint says. The other person told police the person with the mask on was in the residence about 15 minutes before he heard a "pop," the complaint says. That person indicated "he did not hear anything that sounded like an argument before the shooting. He said he had seen the male walking back and forth in the hallway prior to the shot being fired."
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Investigators later spoke with another person who had been at the residence. She said "they were getting high. She said a masked boy came in the residence. She thought the boy was selling some dope. She said she could see he had a gun in his waist area. (The woman) said she heard a gunshot and thought he had shot in the air," the complaint says. But she then saw the victim hit the ground.
Fatal shooting near 17th and Packard, Racine
Police interviewed a man who had been arrested as a result of this incident. The complaint says he "admitted to lying during his first interview." The man said "that since the shooting, he heard that Bernard told a relative that his mind 'snapped on him or locked on him' and that he smashed the phone he used. He also heard that Bernard told a relative that he got rid of the gun somewhere in the area," the complaint says.
Investigators then reviewed video surveillance from the area. That video showed after the shooting, "Bernard exits the building complex and flees SW on foot. He pauses near the corner of 18th and Phillips and bends down," the complaint says. Investigators went to the area where Bernard stopped and bent down. There was a storm sewer grate there. When the grate was removed, they were able to retrieve a 9mm semi-automatic firearm from the sewer. According to forensics, it is likely that the casing in the residence was "fired from the firearm located in the sewer," the complaint says.
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The complaint says on Sept. 13, Edwards was arrested on a probation warrant and for possession with intent to deliver a large amount of THC.
Edwards made his initial appearance in Racine County court on Tuesday, Oct. 17. Cash bond was set at $500,000.