On a summer day in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the life of 15-year-old Hispanic male Raul DeJesus Rios was tragically cut short. On July 25, 2023, near the intersection of 33rd and Center Streets, Raul was with 18-year-old Savell Steward. In the moments leading up to the fatal encounter, the two were reportedly taking pictures of each other posing with firearms.
A photograph of Steward holding a gun was later discovered on Raul's phone, a haunting image captured just before his death.
The playful atmosphere took a dark turn in an instant. A witness who was with the pair heard the shocking sound of gunshots. According to the witness, they saw Steward shoot Raul before fleeing the scene. Responding officers found the young victim in the stairway of an apartment building, where he was pronounced dead. Before he succumbed to his injuries, Raul had managed to plead for help from the witness. The scene was processed by investigators who found three bullet casings.
In the aftermath of the shooting, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Savell Steward. He was subsequently charged with first-degree reckless homicide in connection with Raul DeJesus Rios' death. Steward later pleaded not guilty to the charge and was bound over for trial, with proceedings scheduled to begin in December 2023. The incident left Raul's family and the wider community mourning the loss of a young life to gun violence, with his mother expressing the profound pain of losing her only child.
