In the spring of 2015, a street altercation in Milwaukee led to the tragic death of 30-year-old Robert Echols, a Black / African American man. On the evening of May 3rd, a fight broke out on a neighborhood corner involving Echols' girlfriend at the time, Shasmin Brown, and another individual named Leon Kimbrough. As the conflict escalated, several people gathered, attempting to separate the two.
Robert Echols arrived at the scene and intervened in the fight by punching Kimbrough.
The situation quickly intensified as Echols and Kimbrough began to fight. At this point, a man who had not been involved in the initial dispute, David Earl Crawford, walked up to the two men. Crawford produced a firearm and shot Echols. As Echols attempted to flee, Crawford shot him three more times in the back. The injuries proved to be fatal.
The entire incident was witnessed by several people, including a convenience store worker who recorded the fight and the shooting on his cell phone. Both Shasmin Brown and the store employee later identified David Earl Crawford as the shooter. Crawford, who had a prior felony conviction, was subsequently arrested and charged.
Following a jury trial, David Earl Crawford was found guilty of first-degree reckless homicide and felon in possession of a firearm. For his crimes, he was sentenced to a total of forty years of initial confinement and twelve years of extended supervision. His subsequent appeal of the conviction was denied.
