Dylan Jackson, a 22-year-old Black man from Milwaukee, was killed during a triple shooting in downtown Milwaukee during the early morning hours of March 22, 2026. The gunfire erupted shortly after 1 a.m. in the busy Water Street entertainment district, near North Water and East Knapp streets. Two other people were wounded in the shooting and survived. Jackson was found in the roadway suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Officers attempted lifesaving measures, including CPR, but Jackson was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 1:30 a.m. Family members said Jackson had celebrated a birthday earlier that month, described him as nonviolent and devoted to his family, and said he left behind a daughter.
An autopsy conducted by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Jackson had suffered three gunshot wounds, including wounds to the chest, left hip and right thigh. His death was ruled a homicide. Investigators were faced with a chaotic scene in one of Milwaukee's busiest nightlife areas, where numerous people had been present when the shooting began. Six spent 9mm cartridge casings were recovered near a grassy median, along with a broken Cuban-link-style necklace.
According to the criminal complaint, surveillance cameras captured events leading to the shooting. A group had gathered around the median when a brief physical confrontation occurred. Investigators said two individuals appeared to shove one another before separating and walking in different directions. One of the surviving shooting victims later told investigators that someone had attempted to take a chain necklace from the person who would subsequently be identified by authorities as the alleged gunman. Surveillance footage reportedly showed the gunman produce a firearm and fire repeatedly into a crowd as people began running from the area.
In the immediate aftermath, Milwaukee police announced that a person of interest had been taken into custody. That individual was later released and was not the person ultimately charged. Investigators continued reviewing surveillance recordings and interviewing the two surviving victims. According to the criminal complaint, one survivor identified Deonta Rashad Harmon from a photographic lineup, while another identified Harmon by name. Detectives also obtained images showing the suspected shooter wearing a distinctive Cuban-link necklace similar to the broken necklace recovered near the shell casings. Harmon's probation agent was shown surveillance images and reportedly identified Harmon as the person depicted wearing the necklace.
Police arrested Harmon on March 24 at his mother's residence. During a search of the home, investigators recovered a black 9mm handgun with an extended magazine. Authorities reported that preliminary forensic testing linked the handgun to the six cartridge casings recovered from the Water Street shooting scene. Those findings, together with the surveillance footage, witness identifications and necklace evidence, became central pieces of the prosecution's case.
Milwaukee County prosecutors charged Harmon with first-degree reckless homicide with use of a dangerous weapon, two counts of first-degree reckless injury with use of a dangerous weapon, and possession of a firearm by a felon. The homicide charge alone carries the possibility of decades in prison if a conviction is obtained, with additional potential penalties associated with the dangerous-weapon enhancer and the remaining felony counts.
The firearm-possession charge was tied to Harmon's existing felony record. Court reporting showed that only four days before Jackson's death, Harmon had pleaded guilty in Lincoln County to felony substantial battery. He received probation after a jail sentence was stayed. That recent felony conviction prohibited him from legally possessing a firearm and became the basis for the additional firearm charge following his arrest in the Water Street investigation.
Harmon appeared in Milwaukee County court on March 27, where prosecutors described the shooting as occurring after the confrontation involving the necklace. A court commissioner set bond at $250,000. Prosecutors argued that Harmon's recent history and the allegations surrounding the Water Street shooting made him a danger to the community. Public reporting on the case established that Harmon had been arrested and formally charged in Jackson's death, but no reliable online source located through the available reporting documented a completed trial, guilty plea, acquittal or conviction in the homicide case. The charges therefore remain allegations unless and until they are resolved in court.
