Parion Jackson, a 26-year-old Black/African American man from Milwaukee, was fatally shot in broad daylight on Sunday, July 20, 2025. Milwaukee police were called to the area of North 55th Street and West Custer Avenue, near McGovern Park, at about 12:55 p.m. after gunfire was reported on the residential block. Jackson had suffered fatal gunshot wounds and died at the scene.
In the immediate aftermath, police had no identified suspect in custody and appealed to the public for information about the person responsible.
What initially appeared to be a shooting with an unknown assailant developed into a homicide case supported by surveillance footage. According to prosecutors, Jackson had been trying to sell a puppy and was meeting with a prospective buyer when the encounter turned deadly. A nearby Ring doorbell camera reportedly recorded the interaction. Investigators said the footage showed Jackson speaking with a man later identified as Deon Howell. When Jackson placed the puppy on the ground, prosecutors allege Howell suddenly shot him three times and then fled the area in a stolen vehicle. A woman who heard the shooting called 911 and later told reporters that she heard three nearby gunshots and witnessed the aftermath.
Detectives began piecing together the gunman's movements using several forms of electronic evidence. Police said they traced cellphone information connected to Howell and determined that a flip phone associated with the investigation had been purchased at a Cell World & Tobacco store on Capitol Drive. Investigators also examined surveillance imagery that they considered sufficiently clear to run through facial-recognition technology. Authorities said the resulting identification pointed them toward Howell. Prosecutors additionally said Howell was already on probation at the time of Jackson's killing and that his probation status ultimately played a role in authorities locating and arresting him.
The investigation resulted in the arrest of Deon Howell, who was 35 at the time charges were announced. Milwaukee County prosecutors charged Howell with first-degree intentional homicide in connection with Jackson's death. The accusation alleges that Howell deliberately shot Jackson during what had appeared to be an ordinary meeting involving the sale of the dog and then escaped in the stolen vehicle. The charge represented a significant change from the first days of the investigation, when Milwaukee police described the shooter only as an unknown suspect and said no one was in custody.
Following his arrest, Howell appeared in court and his bond was set at $300,000. Public reporting at the time indicated that a preliminary hearing was scheduled for August 11, 2025. The prosecution's case, as described publicly, relied heavily on the Ring-camera recording of the shooting, additional surveillance footage, cellphone records, the purchase history of the phone investigators associated with Howell, facial-recognition analysis, and information connected to his probation status. The readily available online reporting located for this synopsis documents Howell's arrest and first-degree intentional homicide charge, but does not establish that he has been convicted of Jackson's murder; the homicide allegation therefore remains a criminal charge unless and until resolved through the court process.
