Christopher White, a 38-year-old Black/African American man from Milwaukee, was killed late on April 10, 2026, in a shooting inside an apartment in the 1000 block of West Atkinson Avenue on Milwaukee’s north side. Police initially reported that gunfire erupted at about 11:50 p.m. and that another person was also wounded. White was pronounced dead at the scene, while the second victim, identified by White’s loved ones as his full-time caregiver, was transported to a hospital with gunshot
wounds that were not believed to be fatal. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office subsequently confirmed White’s identity.
White had already survived serious gun violence years earlier. His family said he was shot in 2009 in Milwaukee and left paralyzed, eventually using a motorized wheelchair and having one leg. Despite those challenges, relatives described him as devoted to his family and someone who enjoyed being around those closest to him. He was one of six siblings, and relatives said he would have celebrated his 39th birthday only days after he was killed. Less than a day after the shooting, family and friends gathered near the scene for a vigil and balloon release, grieving a man who had survived one life-changing shooting only to lose his life to another.
The investigation soon revealed considerably more about what allegedly happened inside the apartment. According to the criminal complaint, officers responding to 1033 W. Atkinson Avenue entered an apartment and found White sitting in his motorized wheelchair with a gunshot wound to the left side of his head and no pulse. A second man was found in the living room suffering from wounds to his right arm and left shoulder. Before losing consciousness and being taken to the hospital, that victim told an officer he knew the shooter and identified him by the first name “Marcus.” Investigators also noticed a cellphone positioned on a tripod that appeared to have been livestreaming what was occurring inside the apartment.
An autopsy determined that White had been shot three times, with wounds involving his face, chest and head. When detectives later interviewed the surviving victim at the hospital, he said he, White and a man he knew as “Marcus,” who also used the nickname “Checkmate,” had been gambling with dice inside the apartment. The witness said he recognized Marcus from time they had spent at Kettle Moraine Correctional Institution. Investigators showed the survivor a photograph of Marcus H. Berry, and according to the complaint, the man identified Berry as the shooter.
The surviving witness told investigators that White had been winning the dice game and eventually wanted to stop playing. According to his account, Berry objected because he was losing money, telling White that he was down and White could not quit. An argument and physical confrontation followed. The witness said he attempted to intervene and was shot while trying to break up the fight. White then allegedly tried to stop Berry, and the confrontation moved toward the kitchen. The wounded witness said he subsequently heard three additional gunshots. Other reporting based on the complaint placed the gambling dispute at only about $30 to $40.
Investigators also obtained surveillance evidence that prosecutors say strengthened the case against Berry. Video reportedly showed Berry leaving the apartment after the shooting with what appeared to be a handgun in his hand. Court filings indicated that no one else entered or left the apartment before a woman arrived several minutes later, discovered the victims and called 911. Investigators also interviewed a woman who said she had been watching the apparent livestream and had seen White gambling with a braided-haired man before an argument developed.
Milwaukee police located and arrested Marcus H. Berry on April 20 at a residence in the 5400 block of North 40th Street. Officers obtained a search warrant for the residence and recovered a black Hi-Point Model C9 9mm handgun from the home. Investigators reported that ballistics testing connected the weapon to evidence recovered from the shooting scene. Additional reporting based on the court filings said police also recovered clothing resembling what Berry had been seen wearing on surveillance footage and plastic bags containing what appeared to be blood.
Milwaukee County prosecutors charged Berry with first-degree reckless homicide in White’s death, first-degree reckless injury for the shooting of the surviving victim, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Prosecutors also pointed to Berry’s prior criminal history. Court records cited in news reports indicated that he had previously been convicted of felonies stemming from another dice-game shooting in 2017, in which several people were shot following a gambling dispute. Wisconsin corrections records reportedly showed that Berry had been released from prison to supervised release on December 30, 2025, only a few months before White was killed.
White’s death therefore developed from what was initially reported as an unexplained double shooting into a homicide case centered on an alleged gambling dispute and supported, according to prosecutors, by an eyewitness identification, surveillance footage, an apparent livestream, physical evidence and a firearm recovered after Berry’s arrest. Berry is accused of responsibility for the shooting, but the charges are allegations and require proof in court. The most recent publicly indexed reporting located for this synopsis documents his arrest and the three felony charges; it does not establish that a trial, guilty plea or conviction in White’s killing had occurred by August 31, 2026.
