Lester “Chunky” Whitmore, a 33-year-old Black/African American man, was killed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, late on Sunday, August 23, 2026. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office later formally identified Whitmore, whose family had publicly identified him by his nickname shortly after the shooting. Records associated with his death list his date of birth as January 24, 1993, confirming the age reported by the medical examiner.
The shooting occurred at approximately 11:10 p.m.
in the area of West Ring Street and North Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. According to information from the medical examiner’s investigation, Whitmore was outside his residence painting on the front porch when an unknown person shot him. Emergency personnel responded, but Whitmore was pronounced dead at the scene. What had apparently been an ordinary evening activity at his home abruptly became a homicide investigation, with police beginning their search for whoever was responsible.
In the first public reports following the killing, Milwaukee police did not identify a suspected gunman, provide a description of the person responsible, or announce a known motive. Investigators continued treating the case as an active shooting investigation and appealed to the public for information. Authorities asked anyone who knew something about the shooting to contact the Milwaukee Police Department, while anonymous information could also be submitted through Crime Stoppers or the P3 Tips service.
As of the latest publicly available update on August 27, 2026, no suspect had been identified and no arrest had been announced in Whitmore’s killing. Consequently, there were also no publicly reported criminal charges, court proceedings, trials, pleas, or convictions connected to the homicide at that time. Investigators had not publicly disclosed whether Whitmore was specifically targeted, whether there had been an argument or confrontation before the gunfire, or whether they had obtained surveillance footage or other evidence identifying the shooter. The available reporting continued to describe the assailant simply as an unknown suspect.
Whitmore’s death was followed by funeral arrangements through New Pitts Mortuary in Milwaukee. A visitation was scheduled for September 4, 2026, as relatives and friends prepared to remember him while the investigation into the circumstances of his killing remained unresolved. With no publicly named suspect or arrest in the days immediately following the shooting, the case depended on continued police investigation and information from anyone who may have witnessed the shooting or knew what led to Whitmore being attacked outside his home.
