Milwaukee mother shot, killed during domestic incident; man charged
Ziare Dalton
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee County prosecutors said a teen shot his stepfather and inadvertently killed his mother while trying to stop a domestic violence incident last month. Now, the stepfather is charged with felony murder in the case.
15th and Cherry shooting
The backstory:
Police were called to the scene around 10:30 p.m. on Friday, April 18. Court filings said detectives found nine rifle casings. Two people – 26-year-old Ziare Dalton, who is now charged, and the mother – were shot. Dalton was taken to a hospital and survived, while the mother later died of her wounds.
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Shooting investigation
What they're saying:
According to a criminal complaint, a police officer rode with Dalton in an ambulance from the shooting scene to the hospital. Dalton said he was arguing with the mother when her 17-year-old son – his stepson – shot him.
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Court filings said two other children, ages 11 and 9, were home when Dalton and the mother began to argue. The 11-year-old said Dalton was hitting the mother and yelling "bad words." The 11-year-old also said Dalton had hit the mother before and "she couldn't do anything to stop it."
The 17-year-old came home during the argument and tried to deescalate the situation, per the complaint. The 11-year-old said Dalton threatened to kill the 17-year-old, and the mother then called 911.
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In the 911 call, court filings said the mother was heard telling the dispatcher that Dalton was hitting her and the 17-year-old while threatening to kill the 17-year-old. Dalton could be heard in the background screaming at the 17-year-old – "encouraging him to fire the gun." The call captured multiple gunshots before it disconnected.
Detectives later interviewed the 17-year-old, who is charged in a separate case with a gun-related felony and a misdemeanor – but not with shooting his mother or stepfather. The complaint states Dalton had hit his mother before, including the previous night, and had threatened to kill him and his family members.
The 17-year-old told detectives, per the complaint, that on the night of the shooting he heard Dalton jump on his mother as she yelled for him to stop. He then grabbed a gun and shot Dalton multiple times. He said he did not know his mother was in the line of fire and shot at Dalton to "protect his family." He also said Dalton kept multiple guns in the house.
In Court
What's next:
Ziare Dalton is charged with one count: felony murder – attempted battery. Court records show he's being held in the Milwaukee County Jail on $10,000 bond.
Editor's note: Since the time of the shooting, the 17-year-old has since turned 18 years old. For clarity, and to reflect the situation at the time of the shooting, FOX6 News is identifying him as a 17-year-old in this report. FOX6 News is not naming him because he is not charged with killing his mother or wounding Dalton and was identified in the complaint against Dalton as a threatened individual in the domestic violence incident.
The Source: Information in this report is from the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.