On what should have been a day of celebration, Willie Owens, a 33-year-old Black / African American man, was fatally shot on his birthday, October 24, 2016, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The violence erupted near 19th Avenue and 62nd Street, cutting short a life and leaving a community in shock. Owens was found in the front yard of a home with multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to a local hospital where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
Those who knew him remembered him as a fixture in the neighborhood, often seen with his fiancée and her children, whom he would walk to and from school.
The tragic events of that day were not a random act of violence but the culmination of a dispute. According to police reports, a witness had been involved in an ongoing conflict with a man identified as Raphael Rush. On the day of the shooting, Rush, accompanied by James Butler, Edwin Johnson, and a 16-year-old named Latonio Simpson, arrived at Owens's home. A physical altercation ensued between the witness and Rush, after which the four individuals left, but not before Simpson allegedly declared they would be back.
True to the threat, the group returned over an hour later, this time with a woman named Tracy Kennedy who had driven them. Owens was on the porch with the witness's brother and, upon their arrival, challenged them, stating that if there was going to be a fight, they would all be involved. As Owens approached Butler, eyewitnesses reported that Butler pulled out a gun and fired at least two shots, causing Owens to fall to the ground. Simultaneously, Simpson is also alleged to have produced a firearm and opened fire. An autopsy would later reveal that Owens had been shot a total of four times. Following the shooting, the suspects fled the scene.
In the aftermath, law enforcement launched a thorough investigation that quickly led to the identification of the individuals involved. Five people were ultimately charged in connection with the homicide of Willie Owens: 29-year-old Raphael Rush, 22-year-old James Butler, 27-year-old Edwin Johnson, 16-year-old Latonio Simpson, and 39-year-old Tracy Kennedy. The charges against them included first-degree intentional homicide as a party to a crime. In the days following the shooting, one of the suspects, a 29-year-old man, turned himself in to the Chicago police. The investigation pieced together the events of that fatal day, leading to the arrests of all believed to be responsible for the death of Willie Owens.
