On the afternoon of December 26, 2016, Deandre Allen, a 27-year-old Black man and father of six, was shot and killed in Milwaukee only one day after celebrating Christmas with his family. Allen had been out getting a haircut, and his mother, Shannon Allen, later recalled speaking with him shortly before his death. During that conversation, he told her that he was going to meet a friend at a barbershop.
She spoke with him at approximately 1:25 p.m.; less than 20 minutes later, he would be pronounced dead. :chatgpt-content-reference
According to later reporting, a friend apparently picked Allen up from the barbershop and drove him to the area of North 39th and West Michigan streets in Milwaukee's Miller Valley neighborhood. Allen was dropped off and began walking through a relatively secluded area. A neighborhood resident, Julius Thomas, recalled seeing Allen walking shortly before the shooting. Thomas spoke to him and then went behind his residence to do some work. Moments later, he heard a rapid series of gunshots. When he returned toward the street, he saw someone lying down the block and called authorities. :chatgpt-content-reference
Investigators determined that Allen had been attacked in broad daylight at approximately 1:40 p.m. Reporting on the subsequent investigation indicated that gunfire came from a passing vehicle while Allen was walking in the secluded stretch near 39th and Michigan. Investigators recovered both. 40-caliber and 9mm shell casings, indicating that two different firearms had been discharged during the attack. Allen suffered numerous gunshot wounds and had little opportunity to escape once the shooting began. He was found outside and pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 1:44 p.m. :chatgpt-content-reference
In the immediate aftermath, Allen's family expressed the belief that the person responsible was someone he knew. His mother said that the individual who killed her son was supposed to have been a friend or acquaintance. She also said that Allen and the friend he planned to meet had traveled to the area where the shooting occurred. Those statements raised questions about why Allen had been taken to that location and who knew he would be there, but authorities did not publicly identify the friend as the killer or announce charges against that person. No publicly released evidence has established that the individual who transported or accompanied Allen was responsible for the shooting. :chatgpt-content-reference
Allen's death devastated a family that had been together for Christmas just a day earlier. His mother described him as someone with a strong personality, a sense of humor and an unforgettable smile. He left behind six children, and his family began holding vigils and memorial gatherings at or near the location where he was killed. Over the years, Shannon Allen repeatedly appealed for anyone with information to come forward, saying that she wanted to understand why her son had been killed and who was responsible. :chatgpt-content-reference
Despite the circumstances suggesting that Allen may have known at least some of the people connected to his final movements, the homicide did not quickly produce an arrest. Two years after the killing, his family was still publicly seeking answers. Four years after his death, police were still searching for the killer and Allen's mother said that no one had been arrested in the case. In 2023, the investigation remained unresolved, with his family again gathering on the anniversary of his death and authorities still having no publicly identified killer in custody. :chatgpt-content-reference
The case remained unsolved nine years after the shooting. In December 2025, Allen's family again gathered for a memorial and balloon release, while the Milwaukee Police Department confirmed that investigators were still looking for whoever was responsible. No suspect had been publicly named, no arrest had been announced, and there were no reported criminal charges, trial or conviction stemming from Allen's murder. Police continued asking anyone with information to contact investigators or provide information anonymously through Milwaukee Crime Stoppers. :chatgpt-content-reference
