On the night of August 25, 2015, Cleveland Holley Jr., a 36-year-old African-American man, became the victim of a fatal shooting during an apparent attempted robbery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The violence unfolded at approximately 10:30 p.m. near the intersection of North 49th Street and West Fiebrantz Avenue, in the 4100 block of North 49th Street.
What began as a reported robbery attempt ended with Holley suffering a gunshot wound that would ultimately claim his life.
Emergency medical assistance was provided, and Holley was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Despite efforts to save him, he succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday, August 26, 2015. Although the shooting occurred late on August 25, contemporary news reporting establishes the following day as his actual date of death. Milwaukee police identified Holley as the victim and confirmed that the shooting occurred during an attempted robbery.
As detectives investigated the circumstances surrounding the shooting, the central question was who had confronted Holley and opened fire. Authorities publicly characterized the incident as a robbery attempt, but the initial reports provided little additional information about the confrontation. They did not establish whether anything had been stolen, whether Holley knew his attacker, or whether more than one individual participated. Investigators also did not publicly disclose a description of the suspected gunman or identify a possible motive beyond the reported robbery.
On August 27, 2015, FOX6 Milwaukee reported that no suspects were in custody in connection with Holley's death. The available reporting did not identify anyone arrested or formally accused of carrying out the shooting. Subsequent publicly accessible information has not established the identity of a perpetrator or confirmed that homicide charges, a criminal trial, or a conviction resulted from the investigation.
Holley's death left behind unanswered questions about the final moments of his life and the individual responsible for the violence. The publicly documented circumstances establish that he was shot during a reported attempted robbery and died after being hospitalized, but they provide no verified account of the events leading directly to the gunfire. Without a publicly confirmed arrest or conviction, the available record does not establish that anyone has been held criminally responsible for his killing.
