Kiana Pliska, a 32-year-old woman from Cudahy, was fatally shot on July 16, 2026, during what authorities described as a domestic-related incident outside the Lake Park Apartments in St. Francis, Wisconsin. At about 6:29 p.m., St. Francis police began receiving multiple 911 calls reporting gunfire and a person lying in the apartment complex parking lot near South Packard Avenue and Lake Drive.
Officers arrived to find Pliska suffering from multiple gunshot wounds near a black Nissan Rogue that was reportedly still running. Emergency personnel treated her at the scene before she was transported to Froedtert Hospital, where she died from her injuries. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death a homicide.
The shooting occurred during a custody exchange involving the child Pliska shared with Randall Alexander Lenyard Sr. According to the criminal complaint, Pliska and Lenyard had arranged to meet at their former apartment complex to transfer custody of their son. Investigators said a witness saw a man near Pliska’s vehicle and then saw him fire at her. The complaint alleges that Pliska attempted to get away after the shooting began but was repeatedly fired upon. Court records described gunshot injuries involving several areas of her body, including her head or face, torso, chest, back and neck. After the gunfire ended, prosecutors allege Lenyard left the apartment complex in another vehicle with the child.
The killing came after months of allegations that Pliska was being stalked and harassed by Lenyard. In court petitions, she alleged that he had placed an AirTag tracking device on her vehicle, repeatedly appeared at her residence and other locations, contacted people around her in attempts to locate her, and repeatedly called her. She also described an earlier confrontation in February in which she alleged that he put his hands around her neck and pinned her down. Court records indicate she had sought protection in April, but that proceeding was eventually dismissed after she did not appear for a scheduled hearing. In another disturbing incident described in her later petition, Pliska alleged that Lenyard came to her home on July 15, kicked in a door and damaged its locks and hinges while their child was present. The child reportedly called 911.
On July 16, only hours before she was killed, Pliska filed another petition seeking a temporary restraining order. In that filing, she documented the behavior she said had been escalating and expressed fear about what Lenyard might do next. She also alleged that he had attempted to locate her by contacting her hairstylist while pretending to be a detective. The new temporary restraining order was not granted until the following day, after Pliska had already died. Prosecutors later relied on these allegations as part of the basis for a stalking charge against Lenyard.
Investigators say Lenyard contacted his sister after the shooting and admitted that he had shot Pliska. According to the complaint, he told his sister that Pliska had seen him pull out his gun, tried to run and was repeatedly shot. Authorities allege he also made statements suggesting that he was considering killing himself and the child. His sister contacted 911 and continued communicating with him while attempting to persuade him to turn over the child. She eventually arranged to meet him, and the child was transferred safely into her care. The child was not reported physically injured.
Police continued searching for Lenyard after the child was secured. Authorities ultimately located him in the Milwaukee area and arrested him at approximately 8:20 p.m., less than two hours after the shooting. Reports indicated that the arrest followed a police pursuit into Wauwatosa. According to prosecutors, Lenyard subsequently spoke with detectives and acknowledged shooting Pliska following an argument during the custody exchange. Investigators said he described firing at her as she attempted to flee and then leaving the scene with their child. Those statements remain allegations and evidence presented by the prosecution unless and until established through the court process.
Milwaukee County prosecutors charged Randall Alexander Lenyard Sr. with first-degree intentional homicide and stalking. At his initial court appearance on July 22, Assistant District Attorney Patrick Anderson argued that the evidence reflected an escalating pattern of stalking, violence and threatening behavior preceding Pliska’s death. Prosecutors requested $1 million cash bail. Court Commissioner Barry Phillips instead set cash bail at $250,000 and ordered Lenyard to have no contact with Pliska’s family or the child. During the hearing, Phillips characterized the conduct described in the criminal complaint as an “execution,” emphasizing the prosecution’s allegation that additional shots were fired after Pliska had already been wounded.
The evidence described publicly by prosecutors includes eyewitness observations, Pliska’s restraining-order filings, communications between Lenyard and his sister after the shooting, the circumstances surrounding the transfer of the child, and statements investigators say Lenyard made after his arrest. As of late August 2026, publicly available reporting did not show that the case had reached a trial, conviction or final disposition. Lenyard remained accused of first-degree intentional homicide and stalking, charges that could expose him to life imprisonment if he is ultimately convicted, while the allegations against him remain subject to adjudication in court.
