In the crisp autumn air of October 9, 2023, a violent encounter in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, ended the life of 36-year-old William Eskridge, a Black/African American man. The events unfolded at a residence in the 3800 block of N. 7th Street, where a family dispute escalated into a tragedy that would leave a community in shock and a family torn apart.
On that evening, William Eskridge was at his mother's home when his 19-year-old son, Djuan Eskridge, arrived with his brother and two other
individuals. A physical altercation reportedly broke out between William's other son and him. It was during this confrontation that Djuan produced a firearm and shot his father multiple times. Witnesses stated that William Eskridge was unarmed at the time of the shooting.
After the initial barrage of bullets caused William to fall to the ground, his son Djuan allegedly walked closer and continued to fire, inflicting a total of 31 gunshot wounds throughout his father's body. The sheer brutality of the act was something family members would later struggle to comprehend. First responders arrived to find William Eskridge deceased at the scene, surrounded by spent shell casings. An autopsy would later confirm that the numerous gunshot wounds to his head, chest, abdomen, and extremities were the cause of his death, which was ruled a homicide.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Djuan Eskridge fled the scene on foot, sparking a manhunt that would last for several months. While law enforcement searched for him, William Eskridge's family pleaded with the public for any information that could lead to his capture and urged Djuan to turn himself in. In January 2024, after months on the run, Djuan Eskridge was taken into custody. He was subsequently charged with first-degree reckless homicide and use of a dangerous weapon. A jury later found him guilty of first-degree intentional homicide, and he was sentenced to life in prison.
