On a Sunday evening in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the life of Josephine Taylor, a 35-year-old Black/African American woman, was tragically cut short. On March 29, 2020, Taylor was a passenger in her boyfriend's pickup truck in the Park West neighborhood. They had paused near North 21st and West Wright streets to watch a street fight that had broken out.
As they observed the altercation, a 26-year-old man named Latwaun Hale approached the vehicle.
Hale was an acquaintance of Taylor's boyfriend and an argument quickly erupted over a purported $100 debt. The dispute escalated with shocking speed as Hale produced a firearm and shot Taylor's boyfriend in the neck, then proceeded to rob him of $2,000.
In the ensuing chaos, the occupants of the truck attempted to flee for their lives. Taylor, in a desperate bid to escape, was chased down by Hale. Despite her pleas for mercy, he shot and killed her in the street. The brutal killing was a stark example of the escalating violence in Milwaukee during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following the incident, Latwaun Hale was identified as the suspect and faced a litany of charges, including first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree recklessly endangering safety, armed robbery with use of force, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Hale remained at large for nearly a year and was considered armed and dangerous. In March 2021, his time as a fugitive came to an end when he was apprehended by U.S. Marshals.
