Timothy John Robinson-Webb was a 22-year-old Black man whose life ended in a burst of gunfire during the early morning hours of August 20, 2017, on Milwaukee’s south side. Shortly before 2:00 a.m., trouble developed around South 8th Street and West Becher Street, where Park Place Sports Bar and QuisQuella Bar were located across from one another. Robinson-Webb was later identified by family members as the person killed during the violence outside the taverns.
According to records from the City of Milwaukee, the confrontation began with an argument inside QuisQuella Bar at 2078 South 8th Street. Security personnel pushed the people involved outside, but the dispute continued in the street. A short time later, someone fired a gun. After hearing the shot, a group of patrons from Park Place Sports Bar at 2079 South 8th Street came outside. The two groups then encountered one another, and an unidentified person fired another weapon, setting off an exchange of gunfire involving multiple shooters.
The shooting quickly became a chaotic scene. Investigators recovered 83 spent cartridge casings and determined that at least six different firearms had been discharged. Bullets struck Park Place Sports Bar, a nearby residence, and several vehicles. One Park Place patron was fatally wounded, while a patron associated with QuisQuella was shot in the chest. Contemporary reporting identified Robinson-Webb as the person who died and reported that a 21-year-old woman was also wounded and taken to a hospital with serious injuries.
The large number of shell casings and the involvement of numerous firearms complicated the investigation, leaving detectives to determine who had fired which shots and which weapon produced the fatal wound. The situation was further complicated by the absence of useful surveillance footage from Park Place. During later city proceedings, the bar's licensee said the establishment's video-surveillance system had not been recording when the shooting occurred.
In the immediate aftermath, the person believed to have been involved in Robinson-Webb's killing fled, and Milwaukee police continued investigating the homicide. No suspect was publicly named in the reports located concerning Robinson-Webb's death. The available online records also do not document an arrest, criminal charge, trial, or conviction specifically for his killing. The shooting nevertheless had consequences for the businesses surrounding the scene. Milwaukee officials later met with representatives of Park Place and QuisQuella to discuss the violence and ways to prevent further confrontations, including separating smoking areas and staggering closing times. Park Place Sports Bar's licenses were ultimately not renewed in February 2018.
