In the city of Milwaukee, on March 21, 2023, the life of Michael R. Gibson-Smith, a 32-year-old Black male, was tragically cut short by gun violence. On that Tuesday, police were called to the area near 26th and Hope following reports of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered Gibson-Smith, who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. A witness recounted seeing him run from a backyard and across the street before collapsing.
The investigation into the incident revealed a chaotic
scene. Not far from where Gibson-Smith lay, a second man was found injured. He had been shot in the right cheek and left abdomen and had a graze wound on his shoulder. As detectives processed the area, they recovered numerous. 32 caliber cartridge casings, suggesting multiple shots had been fired. Some casings were found in an alley, while others were located in front of a nearby house on North 27th Street.
The investigation soon focused on a residence near the shooting. After securing a search warrant for an apartment, police found mail addressed to 37-year-old Jonathan Winn. A crucial piece of evidence emerged when the investigation connected the casings from the homicide scene to a previous incident. Police records showed that a. 32 caliber casing had been recovered on January 6, after a witness reported the tenant of that same apartment had fired a gun into the air. Ballistic analysis confirmed that the casing from January was fired from the same weapon as the casings found at the scene of Gibson-Smith's death. Following this, Jonathan Winn was arrested and charged with first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree reckless injury, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
