John Michael Angelo Childress Jr., a 24-year-old Black/African American man, was killed on the evening of February 15, 2026, in a shooting inside a residence on Milwaukee’s north side. Milwaukee police were called to the 3300 block of North 12th Street, near North 12th Street and West Concordia Avenue, at approximately 5:30 p.m. Officers entered the residence and found Childress and another man suffering from fatal gunshot wounds. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
The second man was later identified by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office as Xavier Smith.
The shooting initially created confusion about exactly what had happened inside the home. In early reporting, Childress’s sister said she had been told that someone fired multiple shots into the residence. Neighbors also described hearing a sudden burst of gunfire in what they considered a generally quiet neighborhood. One witness reported seeing a woman run from a home barefoot and screaming, while another person said she attempted to help children who were inside as police arrived. Childress’s sister told reporters that he was the father of at least three children.
As investigators examined the scene, authorities developed a clearer account of the violence. Police and the medical examiner determined that Childress and Smith had been inside the residence, with later reporting indicating that both were found in the living room. Investigators said an argument occurred between the two men and escalated into gunfire. Police concluded that Smith shot Childress and then turned the firearm on himself, dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The deaths were subsequently described by authorities as a murder-suicide.
The circumstances surrounding the argument and what caused it to become deadly were not publicly explained in the available reports. Police continued investigating the events leading up to the shooting even after identifying Smith as the person believed responsible for killing Childress. Authorities said they were not seeking any additional suspects, indicating that investigators believed the person responsible for the homicide had died at the scene. They nevertheless asked anyone with information about what happened to contact Milwaukee police or provide information anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
Because Smith died immediately after allegedly shooting Childress, there was no arrest in connection with the killing and no opportunity for prosecutors to bring homicide charges against him. Consequently, the case did not proceed to a criminal trial or conviction. The available reporting identifies Smith as the sole person believed responsible for Childress’s death and does not indicate that police were pursuing any accomplice or additional suspect. What remained under investigation was not the identity of the alleged shooter, but the events and dispute that led to the fatal confrontation inside the North 12th Street residence.
