In the early hours of a summer morning in Milwaukee, a party that should have been a scene of youthful enjoyment turned into a place of tragedy. On August 16, 2014, Stevan L. Owens, a 21-year-old Black male, was at a gathering in an apartment in the 800 block of N. 22nd Street. The atmosphere of the party took a dark turn when a fight erupted among the attendees.
The altercation escalated with terrible speed, and the sounds of celebration were soon replaced by the echo of gunshots.
In the chaos, both Stevan L. Owens and another young man, 20-year-old Keenan M. Harris, were struck by the gunfire. When the violence subsided, both Owens and Harris lay dead at the scene. The promising lives of two young men were cut short in a senseless act of violence that transformed a social event into a crime scene.
In the immediate aftermath of the double homicide, the Milwaukee police began their investigation. They initially took several people into custody for questioning. As the investigation progressed, most were released, but one individual remained in custody in connection with the fatal shootings. However, in the days following the incident, no formal charges were immediately announced, leaving the community and the families of the victims waiting for answers and the first steps toward justice. The investigation into the deaths of Stevan L. Owens and Keenan M. Harris continued, as a community mourned the loss of two of its young members.
