Jarvis Phillips-Willis, a 19-year-old Black male, was fatally shot late on November 1, 2025, on Milwaukee’s north side. Milwaukee police were called to the 4800 block of West Fond du Lac Avenue at about 11:30 p.m. after gunfire erupted near Fond du Lac Avenue and Hoyt Place. Phillips-Willis was wounded and taken to a hospital, where he later died. Two other people, both 17, were also struck by gunfire and were hospitalized with injuries that police described as non-life-threatening.
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office subsequently confirmed Phillips-Willis as the person killed in the triple shooting.
Investigators initially said the shooting may have grown out of a fight. Later information contained in a police search warrant provided a clearer picture of the chaotic circumstances leading up to the gunfire. One of the surviving shooting victims told investigators that he had been among approximately 30 people running out of a nearby building where a party had been taking place. According to the account described in the warrant, there was a scuffle involving another group as people fled the building. The actual shooting occurred roughly two blocks away. Investigators recovered 31 fired 9mm cartridge casings at the shooting scene, indicating that a large number of rounds had been discharged.
The nearby building quickly became an important part of the public discussion surrounding the killing. Residents said the property had repeatedly been used for parties and had generated complaints about disturbances, crowds, loud vehicles and fights. Neighbor Timothy Scott said he had contacted police about activity at the property before the fatal shooting and had even sent officers video of a gathering earlier that week. Scott said he believed stronger intervention could have prevented the violence. Another neighbor, Theresa Scott, recalled hearing a rapid series of gunshots and going toward the scene afterward.
Police records and later court proceedings showed that Jonathan Springfield-Burnett had been operating a business at the building near 46th Street and Fond du Lac Avenue without the required public entertainment licensing. Authorities said he had been cited multiple times for hosting illegal parties, including on the night Phillips-Willis was killed and the preceding night. A Milwaukee County judge later ordered Springfield-Burnett evicted from the property after proceedings involving unpaid rent and the operation of the unlicensed business. Police connected the gathering at the building to the events preceding the triple shooting, but Springfield-Burnett disputed the suggestion that his party was responsible for the gunfire and emphasized that the shooting occurred about two blocks from the business. Available reporting did not identify him as the person who shot Phillips-Willis or indicate that he was criminally charged in connection with the homicide.
Phillips-Willis’ family described him as quiet and humble, a big brother who enjoyed basketball and had been trying to change the direction of his life. His aunt, Tara Rice, said he wanted to avoid becoming a product of the environment in which he had grown up. Family members said he had recently enrolled in Project Stay so he could complete high school and had goals they had hoped to see him achieve. His former basketball coach, Dr. Reginald Holton, joined relatives in speaking publicly about the loss and the continuing impact of gun violence on young people in Milwaukee. Family and friends gathered for a candlelight vigil and balloon release as they called for information about what happened.
In the immediate aftermath, Milwaukee police said they were searching for unknown suspect or suspects and had made no arrests. Investigators asked witnesses and anyone with information to come forward as the family publicly pleaded for answers. Follow-up reporting concerning the property and the police investigation continued after the shooting, but the available online reports did not identify a suspected shooter or announce an arrest, homicide charge, trial or conviction in Phillips-Willis’ death. The case therefore remained publicly unresolved in the reporting located, with the identity of the person or people responsible for firing the fatal shots still undisclosed.
