Shooting, police chase; West Allis man charged
Howard Brazziel
MILWAUKEE - A West Allis man is charged in connection to a shooting and police chase that happened April 15.
Prosecutors accuse 38-year-old Howard Brazziel of shooting a man in the head leading police on a chase later that day.
West Milwaukee police were called to the initial shooting scene around 9:30 a.m. The victim, a 42-year-old Milwaukee man, had been shot in the head while in his car near Miller Park Way and Mitchell. He was taken to the hospital in serious condition and, as of April 18, was in a medically induced coma.
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Surveillance video from a nearby business showed the victim's red car and a black SUV driving north on Miller Park Way. The victim's car came to a stop, but the SUV made a U-turn such that it was facing south in a turn lane for northbound traffic. It pulled forward, a criminal complaint states, so that the driver's-side doors of both vehicles were next to one another. The SUV's driver then stuck an arm out of the window before speeding off south in the northbound lanes. At the scene, police recovered one bullet casing in the turn lane.
A witness told police he was driving behind both vehicles. The witness said they saw the SUV pull up next to the car and the driver point a gun out the window – firing one shot. The witness said both cars had been driving "together" while the car "veered" and the SUV "swerved" down Miller Park Way.
Scene near Miller Park Way and Mitchell Street.
Another witness told police that the SUV had left a car wash, and the red car seemed to be "following them or scoping them out." The witness said they heard a "pop" and the SUV then sped off the wrong way down Miller Park Way.
Around 1:15 p.m. the day of the shooting, police got a tip identifying Brazziel as the shooting suspect. The tip included a photo him and of his car, a black SUV. Roughly 30 minutes later, an officer spotted an SUV matching the description near 55th and Rogers and saw Brazziel was the driver.
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The officer tried to stop the SUV, but it sped off and a chase ensued. The SUV fled east down Burnham Street and ran red lights at Miller Park Way and 35th Street.
The police chase ended in a neighborhood near 12th and Greenfield in Milwaukee. Brazziel was found ducking behind another SUV at the scene and arrested. A passenger was arrested, but not identified.
During a search of the SUV, police found a gun with one round in the chamber and 13 rounds in its 15-round magazine.
Scene near 12th and Greenfield
The complaint states Brazziel was convicted of a felony in 2006.
In all, Brazziel is charged with four counts:
- First-degree reckless injury
- Fleeing/eluding an officer
- Possession of a firearm by a felon (2 counts)
Brazziel made an initial court appearance on April 19, and a judge set cash bond at $300,000. He is due back in court on April 27.
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