Maya Tolbert, a 31-year-old Black/African American woman, was killed on the night of March 9, 2026, during a violent confrontation outside an apartment building on Milwaukee’s north side. Tolbert was pregnant and was with her boyfriend, Giovanni McVicker, when gunfire erupted near the 6800 block of North Darien Street, close to West Green Tree Road. Police responded shortly before 10:30 p.m. after officers in the area heard what was described as 20 to 30 gunshots.
Tolbert and McVicker were found critically wounded outside, and despite attempts to save them, both were pronounced dead at the scene. Tolbert’s unborn child also died.
Family members said the confrontation began with what appeared to be an ordinary neighborhood complaint. According to relatives, McVicker had asked a neighbor to turn down loud music because his children were trying to sleep. The criminal complaint did not definitively establish loud music as the original cause, instead describing an ongoing dispute or feud between McVicker and the neighbor who would later be charged, Tyrese Allen. The disagreement eventually moved outside the apartment building, where several people gathered and tensions escalated into a physical altercation.
Surveillance footage became a major piece of evidence in reconstructing what happened. At approximately 10:21 p.m., the video reportedly showed McVicker, Tolbert, Allen and two other people outside the apartment vestibule. Investigators said McVicker and Allen were both armed. A physical fight broke out between two women, identified in court records only by initials; subsequent reporting identified the confrontation as involving Tolbert’s sister and the mother of Allen’s child. Allen approached the fight and appeared to wind up as though he was going to strike Tolbert’s sister, although he did not actually do so at that moment. McVicker then approached with an arm extended in what investigators interpreted as an apparent effort to get Allen to back away.
According to the criminal complaint, Allen and McVicker came face-to-face, and Allen suddenly raised his arm and began firing. McVicker ran toward the street while Allen allegedly chased him and continued shooting. Surveillance footage reportedly showed McVicker falling in the roadway as the gunfire continued. Investigators said the video did not appear to show McVicker firing his weapon or pointing it at Allen. Prosecutors alleged that Allen continued attacking McVicker after he had gone down.
Tolbert then became a target of the gunfire. Prosecutors said she attempted to intervene during the attack. The complaint indicates that Allen picked up an object investigators believed was McVicker’s firearm and then shot Tolbert. WISN reported that Allen allegedly returned to McVicker and fired additional shots at him while he was lying in the street, then fired at Tolbert again as she attempted to get back up. Allen was also accused of firing toward Tolbert’s sister as she fled toward the apartment building. Investigators ultimately concluded from the surveillance footage that Allen appeared to be the only person who actually fired during the encounter.
The extent of the gunfire was reflected in the evidence collected at the scene. Detectives recovered 41 spent 9mm cartridge casings, numerous unfired rounds, two loaded Glock magazines that reportedly had blood stains on them, clothing and an iPhone. An autopsy determined that Tolbert suffered eight gunshot wounds involving areas including her arm, flank, back, neck and chest. She was estimated to be approximately 25 to 31 weeks pregnant. The death of her unborn child was attributed to complications resulting from Tolbert’s death. McVicker suffered 31 gunshot wounds as well as several grazing injuries.
Police quickly identified Allen as the suspect. Witnesses at the scene pointed officers toward the apartment building and told them the shooter had gone in that direction. As police approached, Allen reportedly emerged from the building without a shirt and appeared to be surrendering. According to the complaint, he told officers that he was the person who had shot the victims and indicated that there were two guns upstairs. He was taken into custody in connection with the killings.
During a later interview with detectives, Allen acknowledged his involvement but provided an account suggesting he believed he was threatened. He said the dispute with McVicker had been going on for some time and claimed McVicker had been “mugging” him. Allen reportedly told investigators that he saw McVicker with an extended magazine and believed McVicker was trying to shoot him, after which Allen said he could not remember what happened. Investigators, however, relied heavily on the surveillance footage, which prosecutors said did not show McVicker pointing his weapon at Allen or firing it.
Prosecutors formally charged Tyrese Allen with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide for the deaths of Tolbert and McVicker and one count of first-degree intentional homicide of an unborn child. The charges included dangerous-weapon enhancements. Allen made his initial court appearance on March 15, when a Milwaukee County court commissioner set his cash bail at $500,000. At the time of the available reporting, the case remained pending and no trial verdict or conviction had been reported. If convicted of first-degree intentional homicide, Allen faces the possibility of life imprisonment.
In the days after the killings, relatives and friends gathered near the apartment complex to remember Tolbert and McVicker. Family members described them as loving parents whose deaths left their children without both parents, while friends called the violence senseless and said they wanted justice. What began as a neighborhood dispute had ended with Tolbert, McVicker and their unborn child dead, leaving investigators to build their case around the surveillance footage, physical evidence and Allen’s statements following his arrest.
