Fredricka S. Hodges, a 29-year-old Black/African American woman, was tragically killed on April 7, 2014, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. On that fateful afternoon, Hodges, a mother of two young daughters, was driving her car near the intersection of N. 24th and W. Center streets. Unbeknownst to her, she was driving into a scene of violence. Gunfire erupted in the area, and a stray bullet pierced her vehicle, striking her in the head.
Her car continued to move before eventually colliding with another vehicle. Hodges was an innocent bystander, caught in the crossfire of a shooting that was not intended for her. Tragically, at the time of her death, she was on her way to say a final goodbye to her father, who had passed away earlier that same day.
The investigation into Hodges' death led Milwaukee police to a suspect, 20-year-old Brandon Crawford. Another individual, Oscar Rash, was also wounded in the shooting. Rash initially was not cooperative with the police but later identified Crawford in a lineup as the person who shot him. Based on this identification and other evidence gathered during the investigation, Crawford was arrested and charged in July 2014 with first-degree reckless homicide for the death of Fredricka Hodges and first-degree reckless injury for the shooting of Oscar Rash. The case appeared to be moving forward, and Crawford was bound over for trial.
However, the case took an unexpected turn in November 2014 when the charges against Brandon Crawford were suddenly dropped. New evidence had come to light that provided Crawford with an alibi for the time of the shooting. His attorney stated that Crawford was purchasing a car at the time of the incident, a claim that was seemingly supported by information from the state Department of Transportation. The digital timestamp on his vehicle registration application was submitted at 5:52 p.m. on the day of the shooting, which occurred around 5 p.m. Faced with this new information, the prosecution dismissed the charges, leading to devastation and frustration for Fredricka Hodges' family. While the police indicated that the case remained open and they would continue to investigate, no further arrests have been publicly announced, and the death of Fredricka S. Hodges remains an unsolved homicide.
