MCTS bus shooting case dismissed; defendant died in jail

MILWAUKEE - The case against a Milwaukee man who was charged with attempted homicide after an August 2023 shooting on a county bus has been dismissed because the man died in jail.

Prosecutors accused 34-year-old Melvin Goodwin of shooting the victim in the shoulder before getting off the bus near Sherman and Capitol and walking away.

Two years later, while in custody in the jail, the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office said Goodwin had a "medical emergency" and died on Friday night, Sept. 12, 2025.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

On Friday, Sept. 26, the court ordered the case dismissed on the motion of the state.

Jail death (September 2025)

What we know:

According to the sheriff's office, Goodwin had been in custody at the jail since Sept. 4, 2025. He was transferred there to face criminal charges after he completed a prison sentence at Waupun Correctional Institution for other charges.

The sheriff's office said Goodwin was found unconscious and non-responsive in a cell while meal service was underway. Jail staff performed CPR, deployed NARCAN and attempted other lifesaving measures, and 911 was called.

Attempts to revive Goodwin were unsuccessful, the sheriff's office said, and he was pronounced dead shortly after 6 p.m. The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office said it offers condolences to Goodwin’s family and loved ones.

Per Wisconsin law, the MCSO is not investigating itself in this matter. The Waukesha County Sheriff's Department is handling the investigation.

Original case (September 2023)

The backstory:

A Milwaukee man is charged with attempted homicide after an August 2023 shooting on an county bus.

Prosecutors accuse 32-year-old Melvin Goodwin of shooting the victim in the shoulder before getting off the bus near Sherman and Capitol and walking away.

Police spoke to the 42-year-old victim at a hospital after the shooting. He told police he walked past a man who he didn't know, and they said "what's up" to each other, according to a criminal complaint. The victim then sat down in the back of the bus and was on his phone when he heard a bang and was shot.

The bus driver told police a man was acting "erratically" as he got on the bus. She heard the gunshot, but did not see the shooting. She said after the shooting, the man quickly got off and walked away.

Surveillance from inside the bus "clearly depicts" Goodwin as the shooter, the complaint states. It was the same man the victim said, "what's up" to, and that the driver described as acting "erratically."

Goodwin was arrested after an Aug. 28 police chase that ended near Sherman and Villard. A gun was found inside the car, and the complaint states forensic analysis determined that the gun fired a casing that was found on the bus.

Goodwin is charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide and possession of a firearm by a felon; he was convicted in 2021 of second-degree recklessly endangering safety. 

MCTS Statement

What they're saying:

"We want everyone to think twice before you commit a crime on any MCTS bus. We have 10 cameras on each bus, so that’s 3,000 cameras across millions of miles throughout the county, nearly 24 hours a day, every day of the year."