In the early hours of a Sunday morning in Milwaukee, a 19-year-old Hispanic male named Carlos E. Lopez from West Bend tragically lost his life. On July 2, 2023, at approximately 2:50 a.m., Carlos was fatally shot near the intersection of 28th and Burnham in what authorities believe was an armed robbery gone wrong. He had reportedly made arrangements to purchase a gun and was accompanied by friends for the transaction.
The situation took a dark turn when the intended gun sale turned into
a robbery. Two individuals, later identified as 17-year-old Angel Saldana and 18-year-old Brandon Taylor, approached the vehicle Carlos was in. Saldana, armed with a handgun, allegedly attempted to snatch the money Carlos had for the purchase. As the driver of the car tried to speed away from the scene, Saldana reportedly opened fire on the vehicle, striking Carlos in the back of the head and in the leg.
In a desperate attempt to get him to a hospital, Carlos's friends tried to drive him from the scene, but their vehicle became disabled in a construction area a short distance away at the 1900 block of S. 28th St. They were able to call for medical assistance, and Carlos was transported to a local hospital. Despite the efforts to save him, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at 3:49 a.m.
The investigation into the homicide led to the swift arrest of three suspects: a 22-year-old man, an 18-year-old man, and a 17-year-old male. Subsequently, Angel Saldana and Brandon Taylor were formally charged with first-degree reckless homicide and possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent. Taylor faced an additional charge of felony bail jumping. The police investigation revealed that the plan was never to sell a gun but to rob Carlos of his money. A handgun believed to have been used in the shooting was later recovered from a nearby garbage dumpster. Both Saldana and Taylor were held on a $150,000 cash bond.
