Dennis Lamar Johnson, a 56-year-old Black/African American man, was fatally shot in Milwaukee on May 8, 2026, after becoming caught in a confrontation that prosecutors say had nothing to do with him personally. Johnson was a longtime public safety officer with the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office who worked at the Milwaukee County Courthouse Complex. His family said he had just left work when the events that ultimately led to his death unfolded.
Johnson had agreed to drive 53-year-old Darrin Sutton to the 2900 block of North 12th Street so Sutton could pick up his two minor children. According to the criminal complaint, Sutton became involved in an argument with two women connected to the children. Surveillance footage reportedly showed Johnson getting out of the driver’s seat of his black Jeep Grand Cherokee and walking around the vehicle in an attempt to calm the situation and defuse the confrontation. Johnson was not described by investigators as one of the participants in the dispute; instead, the evidence portrayed him as someone trying to keep the argument from escalating.
During the argument, Sutton told investigators that one of the women made a gesture toward her boyfriend, 29-year-old Prinston Underwood, that Sutton interpreted as a signal for Underwood to shoot him. Sutton admitted that he armed himself and displayed a handgun, while Underwood was also allegedly armed. As Johnson began driving away with Sutton in the front passenger seat and Sutton’s two children in the back, gunfire erupted. Prosecutors said Underwood fired toward the departing Jeep and Sutton returned fire, reportedly shooting four or five times. Investigators later recovered seven. 40-caliber cartridge casings from the area where Underwood had been standing.
The danger did not end when Johnson drove away. According to prosecutors, Underwood entered a white GMC Yukon and pursued the Jeep. Near North Teutonia Avenue and West Chambers Street, as Johnson’s vehicle slowed in traffic, the Yukon allegedly pulled alongside the passenger side. A witness told detectives that Underwood fired a single shot through the Jeep’s front passenger window. The bullet struck Johnson in the right upper arm and traveled into his chest. Prosecutors have said Johnson was not the intended target of the shooting. Sutton and both children escaped physical injury.
Milwaukee police responded at approximately 5:08 p.m. and found Johnson wounded in the driver’s seat. Emergency medical personnel attempted to save him, but he died at approximately 5:28 p.m. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the gunshot had passed through his arm and entered his chest and ruled the death a homicide. After realizing Johnson had been shot, Sutton told investigators that he discarded the 9mm handgun he had used during the earlier exchange of gunfire near a building.
Police arrested Underwood and Sutton in the days following the killing. Underwood was charged with first-degree intentional homicide in Johnson’s death, attempted first-degree intentional homicide in connection with the alleged shooting at Sutton, two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety involving the children, and possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of an out-of-state felony. The charges against Underwood also carried dangerous-weapon enhancers. Sutton was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon because prosecutors said he was legally prohibited from possessing the handgun he admitted firing during the confrontation.
A 25-year-old woman connected to the original dispute was also arrested during the investigation. Prosecutors ultimately indicated that she would not be charged. Underwood made an initial court appearance on May 14, when a court commissioner set his cash bail at $250,000. During that hearing, the commissioner noted the distinction prosecutors were making between the initial confrontation and what allegedly occurred afterward: even if Underwood could argue that the first exchange involved self-defense, authorities alleged he subsequently pursued a vehicle that was leaving the scene and fired the shot that killed Johnson.
The killing devastated Johnson’s family and colleagues at the courthouse. Coworkers remembered him as someone who brought humor and calm to the workplace, while relatives described him as dependable and deeply involved with his family. His sister said he routinely communicated with relatives in a family group chat and had sent them a good-morning message on the day he was killed. Vigils were held after his death as relatives, friends and fellow courthouse employees tried to understand how a man who had reportedly attempted to stop an argument from escalating instead became the person who lost his life.
As of the most recent reliable online reporting located through late August 2026, Underwood remained the person accused of firing the fatal shot, with the first-degree intentional homicide case and related felony charges proceeding through Milwaukee County Circuit Court. Sutton’s criminal exposure stemmed from his alleged illegal firearm possession and participation in the earlier exchange of gunfire rather than an allegation that he fired the bullet that killed Johnson. No reliable online source located reported that Underwood had yet been convicted or sentenced for Johnson’s killing.
