Alex Patterson, a 44-year-old Black/African American man, was killed on the night of October 22, 2025, when gunfire erupted inside a residence on Milwaukee’s north side. The shooting happened at approximately 10:10 p.m. in the 2200 block of North 51st Street, near West Garfield Avenue. Milwaukee police responding to the scene found Patterson suffering from fatal gunshot wounds, along with two other people who had also been struck.
Patterson was pronounced dead at the scene.
Information released by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office indicated that the violence may have developed from a physical confrontation inside the home of one of Patterson’s friends. Authorities did not publicly detail what started the dispute, how many people were involved in the confrontation, or exactly how the gunfire unfolded. What was clear was that the encounter ended with three people shot and Patterson losing his life.
Neighbors described hearing signs of a disturbance shortly before police arrived. One woman living next door recalled hearing a man yelling and then sounds that made her believe some type of fight might have been taking place. Another neighbor reported hearing two loud bangs that sounded almost like metal being struck. Within moments, the neighborhood filled with police officers, firefighters and emergency medical personnel, and officers placed crime-scene tape around the area as investigators concentrated on the residence where the shooting occurred.
Two other people were wounded during the same incident, identified by police only by their ages, 24 and 28. Both were transported to a hospital with injuries that were considered non-life-threatening and were expected to survive. The medical examiner’s office provided an important additional detail, reporting that the person considered the shooting suspect was also among those wounded. Public reports, however, did not identify that individual by name or specify which of the two surviving people investigators considered the suspect.
Patterson’s family and partner described a life that extended far beyond the circumstances of his death. Relatives remembered him as a loving father, while his partner said the two had been looking forward to building a future together. She described Patterson as someone who tried to make a positive difference in Milwaukee, saying he helped provide food to homeless people and mentored young people in an effort to keep them away from trouble. His obituary similarly remembered him as a devoted father, son, brother and friend.
In the immediate aftermath, Milwaukee police continued trying to determine who was responsible for the fatal shooting and what precisely occurred inside the residence before weapons were fired. Although authorities acknowledged that a suspected shooter had also been wounded, early reports did not indicate that person had been taken into custody. Police publicly appealed for witnesses and anyone possessing information about the incident to contact investigators.
No publicly available reporting located through September 2026 identified an arrest, criminal charge, trial or conviction stemming from Patterson’s killing. The most detailed published reports continued to describe the investigation as ongoing and the suspect as being sought, leaving unanswered questions about the confrontation, who fired each of the shots, and whether investigators ultimately developed enough evidence to refer a homicide case for prosecution. Patterson’s death therefore remained publicly unresolved, even though investigators knew that the person they considered a suspect had apparently been present during the violence and had also suffered a gunshot wound.
