On a late September day in 2020, the life of Joseph Davis, a 42-year-old Black man, was violently cut short in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The tragic event unfolded on September 30th in the Harambee neighborhood. Davis was walking alone near Buffum and Wright streets when a car pulled up alongside him. From inside the vehicle, two muzzle flashes lit up the afternoon, and Davis was struck by multiple gunshots.
One of the bullets tragically found his femoral artery, a wound that would prove to be fatal.
The immediate aftermath of the shooting launched an extensive investigation by Milwaukee police. A crucial piece of evidence came from a nearby home's surveillance camera, which had captured the entire horrifying incident. The footage showed the victim's solitary walk, the sudden appearance of the car, and the flashes from two separate guns firing from the passenger windows. The car is then seen speeding away as Davis tragically drops to the pavement. Further surveillance from an area gas station showed the suspects' car at the same time as the victim, who had been there just moments before the shooting to purchase some items.
The investigation swiftly led to the identification and arrest of two suspects: Joseph Davis, who shares the same name as the victim, and Adriel McGee. A significant break in the case came from one of the suspects, Davis, who was on federal supervision and wearing a GPS monitoring bracelet. The data from his bracelet placed him at the gas station and at the scene of the crime at the precise time the shooting occurred. Acting on this and other evidence, police located the suspects at a residence on 42nd and Townsend.
A search of the home uncovered a rifle, three pistols, and ammunition. The car used in the drive-by shooting was also found at the location. Ballistic analysis of the recovered weapons provided a direct link to the crime scene, with one of the pistols matching the bullet casings found where Joseph Davis was killed. Following their arrests, both Joseph Davis and Adriel McGee were charged with first-degree intentional homicide, facing the legal consequences of a senseless act that ended a man's life on a Milwaukee street.
