Brookfield shooting; man accused, bullet strikes neighbor through wall

BROOKFIELD, Wis. - A Brookfield man is recovering after police say a neighbor in an apartment next door shot through a wall. The victim was shot and wounded while asleep in his own bed. 

Brookfield police arrested 27-year-old Klayton Bell for the shooting of his neighbor. Bell now faces the following criminal counts: 

• Second-degree reckless injury
• Second-degree recklessly endangering safety

Firearm discharged at apartment complex

What we know:

According to the criminal complaint, Brookfield police responded early on Wednesday, Jan. 21, to Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital-Elmbrook Campus in reference to a possible gunshot wound. The victim indicated "he had a wound to his left arm and believed it was due to a gunshot," the complaint says.

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At the hospital, an officer spoke with the victim and "immediately observed what he believed to be two bullet holes" in the victim's left forearm. The victim indicated he lived at Norhardt Apartments in Brookfield and had been sleeping. The man said his wife "heard a loud bang and heard him in pain," the complaint says. The man told police he woke up with "immense pain in his left arm." He said the incident happened between 2:20 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. — and that "the hole where he believed the gunshot came from was directly above his headboard," the complaint says. The victim was taken to the hospital for treatment.

"My dogs woke me up barking," said Samanta Cusick, a neighbor. "I saw two cop cars – what I thought were big SUV cop cars. I heard them coming in and banging on the doors asking, ‘Please open up.’"

When officers went to the apartment complex, they stopped at the shooting victim's apartment. They spotted a hole in a wall and located a fired cartridge. Based on these findings, "officers believed the firearm to have been discharged from the apartment room on the other side of (the victim's) bedroom wall," the complaint says.

Officers went to that second apartment. The complaint says after three separate commands for the person inside to come to the door and speak with officers, the defendant, Klayton Bell, answered the door.

Bell questioned

What they're saying:

When initially asked about whether he had heard anything that night, the defendant stated "he heard a loud bang which he believed to be a firecracker," the complaint says. It was at that point the officer "informed the defendant the reason officers were there was because there was a discharge of a firearm inside of the apartment complex and officers wanted to come inside to ensure it did not come through the defendant's apartment as well," the complaint says. 

The court filing says Bell was initially hesitant, but then requested an officer to come inside to speak with him. At that point, the "defendant immediately admitted that he had a negligent discharge," the complaint says. Bell "stated that he was trying to put away a firearm and that had accidentally discharged it not knowing there was a bullet inside of the chamber," the complaint says.

The officer later asked Bell if the officer was able to retrieve the firearm from the closet. That consent was granted. Prior to retrieving the firearm, the officer "observed a hole on the north side of the defendant's wall near the headboard of his bed. (The officer) noticed the hold had recently been covered up using either plaster or some form of paint," the complaint says. The defendant also told the officer he did have the fired cartridge in a watch box. That cartridge was retrieved.

Bell did not answer when FOX6 News stopped by his apartment on Monday, Jan. 26. FOX6 News also reached out to Bell's attorney on Monday. He had no comment. 

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Court appearance

What's next:

Bell made his initial appearance in Waukesha County court on Thursday, Jan. 22. He posted a $1,000 cash bond. 

Bell is due back in court for a hearing on Feb 5.