Othon Herrera-Conchi, a 52-year-old Hispanic/Latino man, was killed on the afternoon of April 22, 2025, during a sudden burst of gunfire on Milwaukee’s south side. At about 3:55 p.m., Herrera-Conchi was driving a white pickup truck near South 7th Street and West Mitchell Street when he was shot. Milwaukee police responding to the area found the pickup after it had crashed into a building, with Herrera-Conchi still in the driver’s seat suffering from gunshot wounds.
An autopsy later determined that he died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head.
Investigators learned that Herrera-Conchi had a passenger with him when the confrontation began. According to the criminal complaint, Herrera-Conchi had stopped near West Maple Street and South 7th Street to allow a pedestrian to cross. A black minivan was behind his truck, and authorities allege that the minivan’s driver, later identified as Jose A. Arroyo Cervantes, attempted to maneuver around or cut off Herrera-Conchi. As the vehicles continued along the street, the minivan allegedly pulled alongside the pickup and its driver fired two shots toward Herrera-Conchi. The wounded Herrera-Conchi lost control and crashed.
The violence allegedly continued even after the crash. Herrera-Conchi’s passenger told investigators that he got out of the pickup and ran to find help. While away from the truck, he reportedly heard additional gunshots and saw a man at the driver’s side of the crashed pickup before the man ran back toward the dark-colored van and fled. Surveillance cameras from businesses in the neighborhood captured the events from multiple angles, and detectives said the recordings were consistent with the passenger’s account of what happened. The circumstances described in the criminal complaint led investigators to characterize the shooting as stemming from a roadway confrontation.
Detectives eventually tracked the black minivan to a residence in Watertown, Wisconsin. During a search of the vehicle, investigators reported finding identifying documents belonging to Jose Arroyo Cervantes, including his birth certificate and Social Security information. Authorities also obtained cellphone tower information that reportedly placed Cervantes’ phone in the area of the shooting. Two witnesses subsequently identified Cervantes in a police lineup, adding to the surveillance footage and other evidence investigators said connected him to the killing.
Cervantes, 35, was arrested and charged in Milwaukee County with first-degree intentional homicide while using a dangerous weapon and first-degree recklessly endangering safety while using a dangerous weapon. His cash bond was set at $500,000. The intentional-homicide charge carries the possibility of life imprisonment if he is convicted. The recklessly endangering safety charge arose from the circumstances surrounding the gunfire and the danger allegedly created during the confrontation on the public street.
Herrera-Conchi had reportedly been on his way home when the shooting occurred. A longtime friend described him after his death as someone she considered a good person and said she could not think of anyone who would have wanted to harm him. What initially appeared to police as a shooting with an unidentified assailant developed within days into a homicide prosecution built around an eyewitness account, neighborhood surveillance recordings, identification evidence, the suspect vehicle and cellphone-location information. Publicly indexed reporting located through September 2026 documents the arrest and criminal charges against Cervantes but does not establish that he has been convicted of Herrera-Conchi’s murder; the charges therefore remain allegations unless and until proven in court.
