Javon Lattimore, a 28-year-old Black / African American male, was working on his car in the parking lot of an auto parts store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 6, 2020, when his life was tragically cut short. Uninvolved in the escalating dispute nearby, Lattimore was underneath a red Chevy Impala, jacked up for repairs, when gunfire erupted. The altercation that led to the fatal shooting was between two other men, Henry L.
Watson and another individual.
An argument had broken out between Watson and the other man. Believing the other individual was reaching for a weapon, Watson drew his own handgun and began firing multiple shots. While the intended target of Watson's fear-driven volley survived the incident, Javon Lattimore, an innocent bystander absorbed in his work, was struck four times and died at the scene. A witness later identified Watson from a photo array, stating they saw him fire seven or eight times in the direction of the Impala.
Henry L. Watson was arrested and charged with first-degree reckless homicide. During the trial, his defense argued that he acted in self-defense against the other man involved in the argument. The jury, however, made a distinction between that confrontation and the death of the uninvolved party. While they acquitted him on charges related to the man he argued with, they found him guilty of a lesser charge, homicide by negligent handling of a dangerous weapon, for causing the death of Javon Lattimore. Watson's subsequent appeals, which argued for improper jury instructions and ineffective legal counsel, were denied, and his conviction was upheld. The courts reasoned that the privilege of self-defense did not extend to the unintended death of a third person in this manner.
