Shomaray D. Jackson, a 36-year-old African-American man, lost his life during a deadly shooting outside a Milwaukee tavern in the early morning hours of August 13, 2016. Born on August 1, 1980, Jackson was among four people struck by gunfire following an altercation at All Stars Sports Bar and Grill, located at 4001 West Fond du Lac Avenue, near North 41st Street. What began as a confrontation at the establishment escalated into a violent incident that left two people dead and two others injured.
At approximately 2:30 a.m. that Saturday, an argument or physical fight broke out at All Stars. According to Milwaukee police, the disturbance spilled outside into the parking lot, where gunfire erupted. Jackson and Earl C. Hubanks Jr., 34, were fatally wounded during the shooting. A 26-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man were also struck by gunfire but survived. The incident became a double-homicide investigation, with detectives working to establish how the confrontation escalated and who was responsible for firing the shots. Public reports did not establish whether Jackson or Hubanks had participated in the original dispute or were caught in the ensuing violence.
The shooting occurred during an exceptionally violent weekend in Milwaukee. Within approximately twelve hours, five people had been killed in three separate shooting incidents across the city. Earlier that night, two people were killed in a robbery-related shooting near North 23rd and West State Streets, while another victim had been fatally shot near Sherman Boulevard and Burleigh Street the previous evening. Jackson's death was part of a series of killings that intensified concerns about gun violence throughout Milwaukee. City officials expressed frustration over the escalating bloodshed, while residents described growing fears about violence occurring increasingly close to their homes and neighborhoods.
All Stars Sports Bar had previously attracted attention from Milwaukee authorities because of disturbances and violent incidents associated with the establishment. Municipal licensing records documented an armed robbery-related incident outside the business in June 2016 and another shooting in July 2016, when a person was wounded during an exchange of gunfire involving an unidentified individual and a security guard. The August 13 double homicide added to the establishment's history of serious incidents. However, publicly available information does not establish that those earlier events were connected to Jackson's killing.
Milwaukee police launched an investigation into the shooting, examining the circumstances surrounding the fight and the gunfire that followed. In the immediate aftermath, authorities reported that no suspects were in custody in connection with the fatal shootings. Investigators had not publicly identified the person or persons responsible, and the early news coverage did not provide a confirmed motive beyond the reported confrontation at the tavern. Whether investigators recovered a murder weapon, obtained surveillance footage, or developed identifiable suspects was not established in the available reporting.
Although Jackson and Hubanks were publicly identified by Milwaukee police shortly after their deaths, subsequent information about the criminal investigation has been limited. Available public reports do not identify a confirmed suspect, an arrest directly connected to their murders, or criminal charges specifically filed for the double homicide. No reliably documented trial, guilty plea, or conviction connected to Jackson's death was located. Consequently, the publicly available information does not establish whether investigators eventually identified the shooter or whether the case remains officially open.
Jackson's death was later included in the Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission's annual report documenting the city's 2016 homicide victims. His life ended only twelve days after his birthday, leaving another family facing the devastation of a sudden and violent loss. The shooting at All Stars Sports Bar remains a particularly tragic example of how quickly a confrontation can turn deadly, claiming two lives and injuring others. Without a publicly confirmed identification of those responsible or a documented judicial outcome, important questions surrounding the circumstances of Jackson's killing remain unanswered.
