On a summer morning in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the life of a three-year-old African American girl named Brooklyn Skye Harris was tragically cut short. On July 13, 2019, Brooklyn was riding in a car with her mother and three other children. Her mother had just picked up a friend and her child and was pulling away from the curb near 42nd and Bonny Place. Behind them was a sport utility vehicle.
As Brooklyn's mother drove off, the driver of the SUV, later identified as Antonio Bratcher, opened fire on their vehicle.
A single bullet shattered the rear window, striking young Brooklyn in the head. Despite the horrific event, her mother continued to drive, urging the other children to get down on the floorboards for safety. Near 42nd and Concordia, she saw the SUV again, and Bratcher fired twice more at their car. The incident was a result of a road rage altercation that began after the two vehicles nearly collided. Brooklyn Harris did not survive her injuries.
Following the shooting, a police pursuit of the suspect's vehicle ensued, with speeds reaching over 70 miles per hour. The chase ended when the SUV crashed near 27th and Galena. The driver, Antonio Bratcher, fled the scene on foot. Milwaukee police conducted a house-to-house search and found Bratcher hiding under a porch. He attempted to flee again but was apprehended. Investigators recovered a. 45-caliber pistol that had been fired multiple times, and a fingerprint on the weapon linked it to Bratcher.
Antonio Bratcher was charged with first-degree reckless homicide and five counts of recklessly endangering safety. In December 2021, a jury found the 42-year-old guilty on all charges. During the trial and at his sentencing, Bratcher maintained through his attorney that someone else had fired the fatal shot. In February 2022, a Milwaukee County judge sentenced Antonio Bratcher to 36 years in prison, with an additional 22 years of extended supervision. He was also ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution to cover the funeral expenses for the young girl whose life he had taken in a senseless act of violence.
