Christopher Carter Jr., an 18-year-old Black/African American man, was fatally shot on January 9, 2025, inside a Milwaukee residence near North 60th Street and West Sheridan Avenue. The shooting occurred shortly after 5 p.m. and became Milwaukee’s first homicide of 2025. Carter suffered a serious gunshot wound and was rushed to a hospital, but despite efforts to save him, he died from his injuries later that evening.
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office publicly identified him the following day.
As detectives investigated what had happened inside the home, the case quickly focused on Carter’s friend, Jaden Jenkins-Delane. According to the criminal complaint, Carter was from Texas and had been staying with Jenkins-Delane and his family in Milwaukee. The two friends were together in an upstairs bedroom when the handgun discharged. Jenkins-Delane’s mother told investigators that she heard a popping sound and then realized Carter had been shot. She and her son immediately began taking Carter to the hospital.
Information gathered during the investigation indicated that Carter had been struck in the pelvic area. Jenkins-Delane’s mother reported that while they were traveling to the hospital, Carter indicated that Jenkins-Delane had shot him accidentally. Jenkins-Delane also characterized the shooting as an accident and reportedly said there had been something wrong with the firearm. Surveillance evidence from the residence further helped investigators reconstruct the moments surrounding the shooting. Authorities said the recording captured the sound of a single gunshot, followed by a male voice indicating that he had been shot. Jenkins-Delane was then seen coming downstairs carrying two handguns before briefly disappearing from view and returning without them.
Detectives said Jenkins-Delane initially provided several different versions of what had occurred. At one point, according to the criminal complaint, he claimed Carter had shot himself. Police arrested Jenkins-Delane for providing false information as investigators continued questioning him. Prosecutors said that once he was in custody, Jenkins-Delane ultimately acknowledged that he had accidentally fired the shot. He told authorities he had been attempting to clear a round from the chamber of a handgun when the weapon discharged. Reports concerning the subsequent disposal of the firearm contained differing details, but investigators determined that a gun connected to the incident was discarded as Carter was being taken for medical treatment.
Milwaukee County prosecutors charged Jenkins-Delane as an adult with homicide by negligent handling of a dangerous weapon and possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18. The homicide charge reflected the prosecution’s allegation that Carter’s death resulted from negligent handling of the firearm rather than an intentional shooting. Jenkins-Delane was initially held on bond as the criminal case proceeded through Milwaukee County Circuit Court.
The case eventually ended with a guilty plea rather than a trial. In November 2025, Jenkins-Delane pleaded guilty to homicide by negligent handling of a dangerous weapon. The separate charge involving possession of a dangerous weapon while underage was dismissed but read into the court record, meaning the judge could consider the conduct when imposing sentence. On January 16, 2026, a Milwaukee County judge sentenced Jenkins-Delane to three years and six months in prison, followed by three years and three months of extended supervision. The sentence brought the criminal prosecution stemming from Carter’s fatal shooting to a conclusion, more than a year after the two friends entered that upstairs bedroom and a single gunshot ended Carter’s life.
