On the evening of April 8, 2017, a verbal altercation on Milwaukee's north side tragically escalated, resulting in the death of 24-year-old Johnathan Evans, a Black / African American male. The incident unfolded near 29th and Roosevelt Drive following a dispute that began earlier in the day. Evans had taken his son shopping and, upon returning him to a relative's house, a disagreement arose.
This led to a heated argument involving Evans, his child's mother, Chiqweeta Coleman, and another man, Donte Lee Brown.
The argument, which started inside a house, was moved outside at Coleman's insistence, who later stated she anticipated a physical fight at worst. However, the situation took a fatal turn. A witness to the event saw Donte Brown, who had his hand in his pocket throughout the escalating argument, walk behind Evans. Brown then produced a black semi-automatic pistol from his sweatshirt and fired at a downward angle toward Evans. As Evans and a friend attempted to flee, Brown fired one or two more shots, causing Evans to fall to the ground.
Following the shooting, an investigation led to the arrests of both Donte Brown and Chiqweeta Coleman. Brown, who had a prior conviction for attempted first-degree intentional homicide, was charged with first-degree reckless homicide and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Coleman faced a charge of harboring or aiding a felon, as she admitted to driving away from the scene with Brown after witnessing the shooting.
In August 2018, a jury found Donte Brown guilty of first-degree reckless homicide as a party to a crime and possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a felony. His co-defendant, Chiqweeta Coleman, had pleaded guilty to two counts of resisting or obstructing an officer the previous month. The tragic death of Johnathan Evans stemmed from what began as a domestic dispute, irrevocably altering the lives of all involved.
