On a summer night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the life of a 30-year-old Black / African American male named Markel Johnson was tragically cut short. On August 4, 2019, an argument that began inside a tavern spilled out into the street and escalated into deadly violence. The altercation, which took place near the area of 52nd and Hampton, would end with Johnson being both stabbed and fatally shot.
The evening's tragic events began with a heated dispute inside the Life Bar between Markel
Johnson and a woman named Gina Johnson. Patrons and bar staff intervened, and both individuals were asked to leave the establishment. The conflict, however, did not de-escalate. It moved across the street, where the argument intensified into a physical fight. Witnesses reported seeing Gina Johnson with a knife, making stabbing motions toward Markel Johnson as he tried to evade the attack.
A witness attempted to step in between them, at which point Markel Johnson stated that he had been stabbed. The violence did not end there. According to the criminal complaint filed later, Gina Johnson then went to her SUV, retrieved a handgun, and fired two shots over the roof of her vehicle before driving away from the scene. When police arrived, they found Markel Johnson unconscious and bleeding. Despite life-saving measures, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators at the scene recovered a folding knife, two women's shoes, and two fired. 45 caliber cartridges.
In the aftermath, Gina Johnson, then 40 years old, was arrested and charged with second-degree reckless homicide. During an interview with law enforcement, she admitted to being in an argument with Markel Johnson, stabbing him, and shooting him. She claimed that he had been aggressive and had punched her, prompting her to stab him. She also stated that she fired the gun as a warning. A cash bond was set at $20,000, and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for later that month.
