In Racine, Wisconsin, a promising young life was cut tragically short on the night of Sunday, March 13, 2022. Eugene T. Henderson, a 14-year-old male, was fatally wounded by a gunshot to the head. The incident unfolded after 10 p.m. when police were called to the area of 20th Street and Mead Street for reports of shots fired. A short time later, officers found Henderson inside a Chrysler 300 on Racine Street with a critical head wound.
He was a passenger in what was later determined to be a stolen vehicle. Henderson was airlifted to a hospital in Milwaukee, but he succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the shooting revealed that the occupants of the stolen car had been involved in an altercation with individuals in another vehicle near 18th and Center Street. During this dispute, shots were fired into the car Henderson was in. An eyewitness reported that a blue Ford Edge SUV pulled up alongside the Chrysler, and shots were fired through the windows. Initially, the investigation led to charges against two teenagers in June 2022, but these were later dropped due to insufficient evidence. The case remained active, with Racine Police and Crime Stoppers offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
A significant breakthrough came with the identification of Crishawn Clemons as the primary suspect. According to the criminal complaint, an individual eventually admitted that Clemons was the driver of the Ford Edge and had fired the shots. This information was corroborated when three other passengers in the car also identified Clemons as the shooter from a photo lineup. In October 2022, Clemons was arrested by U.S. Marshals.
In March 2024, nearly two years after the fatal shooting, Crishawn Clemons reached a plea deal with prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to second-degree intentional homicide and possession of a firearm by a felon. As part of the agreement, prosecutors recommended a prison sentence of at least 20 years. The tragic death of Eugene Henderson also led to further violence, as another teenager was shot in what police believed was a retaliatory act of mistaken identity, with two other individuals being charged in that separate case.
