On the evening of August 28, 2014, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a 20-year-old male named Nikola Maric was fatally shot. The incident occurred shortly before 9:00 p.m. near the intersection of 17th and Greenfield. When police arrived, they found Maric lying in the street with a gunshot wound to his chest. Although he had a faint heartbeat when discovered, he was pronounced dead at the scene by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office.
An autopsy later confirmed that a single gunshot wound to the chest was the cause of death.
The investigation into Maric's death led authorities to two suspects, 19-year-old Hawke Strickland and 23-year-old Zachary Bryant. According to witness accounts, two African-American men were seen walking in the area and then had an encounter with Maric, who was walking in a nearby alley. Witnesses reported seeing the two men having a brief and argumentative conversation with Maric before a gunshot was heard, and Maric fell to the ground. The two men were then seen fleeing the scene, with one witness stating they saw a gun in Strickland's hand. Both Strickland and Bryant were later identified by witnesses in police lineups.
Following the investigation, both men were arrested and charged. Hawke Strickland was charged with first-degree reckless homicide as a party to a crime, with the use of a dangerous weapon. Zachary Bryant faced charges of first-degree reckless homicide, use of a dangerous weapon as party to a crime, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Ultimately, a jury found Hawke Strickland guilty of first-degree reckless homicide. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison, followed by 10 years of extended supervision. He was also ordered to pay restitution to the Crime Victim Compensation Program and to Maric's family. In the case against Zachary Bryant, the first-degree reckless homicide charge was dismissed by prosecutors. He still faced the charge of possession of a firearm by a felon.
