On the afternoon of May 5, 2020, Cathy King, a 48-year-old Black female, was tragically shot and killed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A pharmacy technician at Walgreens, King was being dropped off for her shift at the store located at 27th Street and North Avenue by her daughter-in-law. As she exited the vehicle, her ex-boyfriend, Willie Jones, emerged from behind a pillar where he had been waiting and began shooting at her.
King sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The incident unfolded in the Walgreens parking lot. After hearing the initial shots, King's daughter-in-law, who had been in a brief conversation with her about Jones just moments before the attack, drove to another part of the lot and called 911. When police arrived, they found the 51-year-old Jones standing over King's body, armed with a gun. He was visibly agitated and refused to comply with officers' commands to drop his weapon.
A tense standoff ensued, during which Jones reportedly told officers they would have to kill him. At one point, he fired a shot at the police, who then returned fire, striking and injuring him. Jones was taken into custody and transported to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries. Following an investigation into the domestic violence-related homicide, Jones was charged with first-degree intentional homicide and second-degree recklessly endangering safety.
The legal proceedings against Willie Jones concluded on June 30, 2022, when a jury found him guilty on both counts. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The community mourned the loss of Cathy King, who was remembered by friends, family, and coworkers as a beloved mother and a caring pharmacy technician. Her death also brought renewed attention to the issue of domestic violence in the Milwaukee area.
