On the evening of April 3, 2012, Lauren Donelson, a 26-year-old African-American woman, was in her apartment on the 8700 block of West Mill Road in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which she shared with a roommate and her boyfriend. Around midnight, the sound of her car alarm, chirping from her key fob, prompted her to investigate. Arming herself with a revolver, she opened her apartment door to see what was happening. At that moment, an unknown individual fired a single gunshot, striking her in the chest and inflicting a mortal wound.
Donelson stumbled back into her apartment after being shot. Her 34-year-old roommate claimed to have heard the shot and then found her in the living room. He told police that he immediately called 911. However, investigators from the Milwaukee Police Department discovered that the roommate had first called Donelson's boyfriend and waited at least 15 minutes before contacting emergency services. During his initial interview, the roommate also failed to mention that Donelson had been armed when she went to the door; police only discovered her revolver after the roommate admitted to hiding it in a closet.
The investigation into Lauren Donelson's death revealed further complexities. Initially, the roommate refused to allow police to search the apartment. When they later returned with a warrant, they discovered nearly $3,600 in cash, over 160 grams of marijuana, and a digital scale. While her boyfriend was taken into custody at the Milwaukee County Jail on several unrelated charges, including bail jumping and possession of a firearm by a felon, no one has ever been charged in connection with Donelson's homicide. The case remains unsolved, and police have asked for anyone with information to come forward.
