Deondrick Lamont Byrd, a 45-year-old African-American man, was the victim of a fatal shooting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the opening days of 2016. On Sunday, January 3, at approximately 11:05 p.m., gunfire erupted in the 2400 block of North 6th Street, near the intersection of North 6th and West Wright Streets. Byrd was killed in the shooting, becoming Milwaukee's first reported homicide victim of the new year.
Although the incident occurred late on January 3, funeral home records officially list his date of death as January 4, 2016.
Milwaukee police responded to the shooting and began investigating the circumstances surrounding Byrd's death. Initial news coverage described the victim as an unidentified adult when authorities first reported the homicide. His identity was subsequently established, and local news outlets confirmed that Byrd had been fatally shot near 6th and Wright. However, the available reports provided little information about what happened immediately before the gunfire. Authorities did not publicly establish whether Byrd had been involved in an argument, whether he knew the person responsible, or whether the shooting was connected to another crime. A specific motive was not disclosed in the available reporting.
Byrd's killing marked a tragic beginning to another year of gun violence in Milwaukee. The city had recorded 145 homicides during 2015, and his death occurred only days after that particularly violent year ended. The investigation became part of the Milwaukee Police Department's efforts to address the continuing violence affecting neighborhoods throughout the city. Despite the attention given to Milwaukee's first homicide of 2016, relatively few details about the investigation were made available to the public.
Following his death, family members and friends gathered to remember Byrd and mourn his loss. Funeral arrangements were handled by Reid's New Golden Gate Funeral Home in Milwaukee. Visitation took place on Saturday, January 16, 2016, from 11:00 a.m. until noon, followed by funeral services at the funeral home on North Teutonia Avenue. Messages left in his online memorial reflected the grief experienced by those who knew him. Friends and loved ones remembered him affectionately as Deon, expressing their sadness, love, and difficulty accepting his sudden death. Years later, additional messages continued to appear, demonstrating that his memory remained important to those closest to him.
Publicly accessible reporting does not identify a confirmed suspect in Byrd's killing. No reliable information was located establishing that an individual was arrested, formally charged, prosecuted, or convicted specifically in connection with his death. Details concerning possible witnesses, forensic evidence, investigative leads, or a suspected motive have not been publicly documented in the sources reviewed. Consequently, the available information does not establish whether investigators eventually identified the person responsible or reached a resolution that was never widely reported.
Deondrick Byrd's death remains a painful loss to those who knew and loved him. What began as a late-night shooting near North 6th and West Wright Streets became the first recorded homicide in Milwaukee during 2016, leaving his family and friends to confront a sudden and devastating tragedy. Although the circumstances surrounding his final moments remain largely undocumented in public reporting, the messages of remembrance left by loved ones preserve a more personal account of the man whose life was taken.
