Shawn Alford, a 41-year-old Black/African American man, was fatally shot on the evening of September 11, 2017, while sitting inside a vehicle on Milwaukee’s north side. The shooting happened at about 6:45 p.m. near North 25th Street and West Meinecke Avenue. Someone approached Alford’s vehicle and fired several rounds through the driver’s side.
Milwaukee Fire Department personnel attempted lifesaving measures before Alford was transported to a local hospital, but he died from his injuries. Investigators later determined that he had suffered four gunshot wounds.
In the period immediately before the shooting, Alford, who was also known as “Bushwick,” had been spending time in the neighborhood and playing chess with friends. One longtime friend said he had walked away from the area for roughly 20 minutes when he suddenly heard the gunfire. According to the criminal complaint, another witness saw a person wearing a red hooded sweatshirt walking down the middle of the street toward Alford’s SUV. The witness reported seeing the person approach the driver’s side of the vehicle, produce a handgun and raise it toward Alford. The witness then heard approximately three or four shots and saw the gunman firing into the driver’s-side window before fleeing.
As detectives investigated, they focused on Darryl Fredrick Roberts, who was also known as “Lil’ D.” Witnesses reportedly told police that Roberts and Alford had known each other for only about a month and had recently developed a dispute involving a parking space. According to investigators, the disagreement had occurred during the week before the killing. Police alleged that the confrontation over the parking spot ultimately provided the motive for the shooting.
Based on witness statements and the investigation, prosecutors charged Roberts in connection with Alford’s death. An arrest warrant was issued for him, and he was charged with first-degree reckless homicide and possession of a firearm by a felon. The reckless-homicide charge carried a potential prison sentence of up to 60 years if he were convicted. When the charges were publicly announced in late September 2017, Roberts had not been taken into custody and Milwaukee police were actively searching for him.
In the days after the killing, balloons, candles and handwritten messages formed a memorial near the place where Alford had been shot. Friends described him as someone who had become a familiar and welcome presence in the neighborhood, making the sudden violence particularly difficult for those who had been with him shortly before the gunfire. The contemporary online reports located for the case document the warrant and criminal charges against Roberts, but do not establish a subsequent arrest, trial, or conviction for Alford’s killing.
