On a late Labor Day evening in Racine, Wisconsin, Willie Robert Henderson Jr., a 58-year-old Black/African American man, was fatally shot. The incident occurred on September 4, 2023, near the intersection of Victory and Arthur Avenues. Henderson was inside his vehicle, backing out of a driveway, when he was struck by multiple gunshots. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The shooting was not a random act of violence, though it appears Henderson
was not the intended target. Investigators believe the alleged shooter may have mistaken Henderson for someone else. The suspect was reportedly in a dispute with the son of a resident in the area over a female. This individual had been known to drive the same car Henderson was in on the night of the shooting. After firing several shots into the vehicle's windshield, the gunman also fired three rounds into the nearby home, where two children were present at the time.
A week after the shooting, on September 11, U.S. Marshals apprehended a suspect in Franklin. The man taken into custody was identified as 31-year-old Tommy Johnson of Mount Pleasant. He was subsequently charged with first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree recklessly endangering safety, and possession of a firearm by an out-of-state felon. Johnson has a prior felony conviction in Cook County. Following his arrest, a Racine court set his bond at $500,000.
