Tremayne “Trell” Montgomery, a 40-year-old Black/African American man, was killed late on April 4, 2026, after a confrontation at Fremos Bar on Milwaukee’s northwest side spilled out into the street. Milwaukee police were dispatched shortly before midnight to the area of West Fond du Lac Avenue and West Armitage Avenue, near North 64th Street, where Montgomery was found on the ground suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
First responders attempted lifesaving measures, but he died at the scene. Family members said he had gone out that Saturday evening to celebrate during Easter weekend, never expecting the night to end in violence.
According to the criminal complaint, Montrel Calhoun had arrived at Fremos with a woman he had been dating for approximately two years. The woman told investigators that Montgomery had previously been her boyfriend for roughly eight years. After the group had been at the bar for some time, Montgomery and Calhoun became involved in an altercation inside a bathroom. Security personnel intervened, separated the men and forced them outside. The woman followed and soon heard gunfire. She told police that when she got outside, she saw Calhoun standing over Montgomery with a firearm. She remained behind and attempted CPR while Calhoun fled.
Investigators said surveillance cameras captured much of what happened. The criminal complaint described 11 gunshots being fired during the confrontation outside the bar. Prosecutors alleged the footage showed Calhoun confronting Montgomery, firing repeatedly and continuing the attack after Montgomery had fallen. Calhoun was allegedly seen stomping and kicking Montgomery in the head and striking him with the handgun. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office documented multiple gunshot wounds along with blunt-force injuries, lacerations and abrasions to Montgomery’s face. Other reporting based on the medical examiner’s findings said Montgomery had been struck by nine bullets.
After the shooting, authorities said Calhoun left the area in a black-and-tan Ford Expedition. Investigators soon identified him as the suspected shooter and tracked him to an apartment near Becher Street. According to the complaint, officers initially saw Calhoun appearing to lower himself from a window as though he might jump. He later came through the apartment door holding a kitchen knife to his own neck and reportedly asked officers to shoot him. Police used a Taser and took him into custody. Investigators subsequently recovered a black duffel bag from a communal garbage area at the apartment complex containing clothing that prosecutors said matched clothing Calhoun was seen wearing around the time of the killing.
The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office formally charged Montrel Calhoun on April 10 with first-degree intentional homicide, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and felony bail jumping. At his initial court appearance, a judge set cash bond at $250,000. The homicide charge accused Calhoun of intentionally causing Montgomery’s death, while the additional counts reflected his alleged possession of a firearm despite a prior felony conviction and an allegation that he committed the new offenses while subject to conditions from another felony case. A preliminary hearing was initially scheduled for April 17.
Montgomery’s death devastated a large circle of relatives and friends. His family gathered for a candlelight vigil on Easter Sunday, only hours after the shooting. Relatives remembered “Trell” as a devoted father, brother, son and grandfather who placed a strong emphasis on family. Family members said he had four children and two grandchildren, owned a cleaning business and enjoyed playing pool. What would ordinarily have been an Easter celebration instead became a gathering filled with candles, prayers and calls for justice.
The investigation moved rapidly from an initially unknown-suspect shooting to an arrest and homicide prosecution within days. The publicly accessible news reporting located through August 31, 2026, documents Calhoun’s arrest, the filing of the three felony charges and the setting of bond, but does not establish that a trial, guilty plea or conviction in Montgomery’s killing had been completed. The allegations against Calhoun therefore remain accusations unless and until resolved through the court process.
