Tommie Triggs, a 21-year-old Black man, was killed on the evening of November 16, 2025, when gunfire erupted in Milwaukee’s Rufus King neighborhood near West Congress Street and North 19th Place. The shooting occurred shortly before 7:30 p.m. and also claimed the life of Develle M. Gholson. Police found Gholson on the 1900 block of West Congress Street, while Triggs was located roughly a block away on the 4300 block of North 19th Place. Both died at the scene.
The violence was heard throughout the surrounding neighborhood. A doorbell camera positioned about two blocks away captured the sound of more than a dozen gunshots. Nearby resident Lary Rogers said that shortly after hearing the gunfire, someone began pounding on his window and front door. When police sirens approached and Rogers opened the door, he found Triggs near the porch banister, badly wounded and asking for help. Rogers called officers over to the house, but despite the response, Triggs stopped breathing and could not be saved.
Investigators determined that Triggs and Gholson had both been struck during the same outbreak of gunfire near 19th and Congress, although police did not publicly explain what caused the shooting or whether either victim had been specifically targeted. Gholson had reportedly been in the area celebrating a cousin’s birthday, watching a football game and playing cards before the shooting. Authorities have not publicly established what brought Triggs to the area or disclosed what relationship, if any, existed between him, Gholson, or whoever opened fire.
In the days after the killing, Triggs’ family described him as laid-back and remembered his interests and accomplishments beyond the circumstances of his death. He enjoyed fishing, had served in the U.S. Army and had played football at Horlick High School in Racine. Funeral records list his full name as Tommie Ollee Triggs and show that his life was later honored with military honors.
Milwaukee police did not announce an arrest in the immediate investigation. Officers said they were still searching for the person or people responsible and had not released a description or identity of a suspected shooter. Police also did not disclose a suspected motive or provide details about the events immediately preceding the gunfire. Publicly available reporting located after the shooting does not identify a subsequent arrest, criminal charge, trial or conviction connected to the deaths of Triggs and Gholson. The case therefore remained publicly unresolved in the available reports, with investigators continuing to seek information from anyone who witnessed the shooting or knew who was responsible.
