Milwaukee fatal hit-and-run crash; 2 men accused in wreck that killed EMT
Dayton Milligan
MILWAUKEE - Two Milwaukee men are now charged in connection with a hit-and-run crash at 76th and Glendale that killed an EMT. The accused are 22-year-old Dayton Milligan and 37-year-old Earl Gordon. They face the following criminal counts:
- First-degree reckless homicide (Milligan)
- Hit-and-run resulting in death (Milligan, Gordon)
- Knowingly operate motor vehicle while revoked-cause death of another (Milligan)
- Harboring or aiding a felon (Gordon)
Fatal hit-and-run crash
What we know:
According to the criminal complaint, Milwaukee police were dispatched to a crash at 76th and Glendale on Thursday evening, Jan. 15. The striking vehicle was a pickup truck. The vehicle that was struck was an SUV. Both vehicles sustained severe damage consistent with a high-speed collision, the complaint says.
Scene near 76th and Glendale, Milwaukee
The driver of the pickup truck was not at the scene when officers arrived. The driver of the SUV, identified as Meng Kue, did not survive his injuries. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office said Kue's cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries.
Witness statement: Vehicle's "racing"
What they're saying:
Police spoke with a witness who indicated she saw the pickup truck with loud exhaust and two other cars at 76th and Appleton. The witness said when the light turned green, "the three vehicles began racing down 76th Street. (The witness) estimated that the vehicles reached a speed of 80 mph," the complaint says. The witness said when the racing vehicles reached 76th and Glendale, the pickup truck hit another vehicle that was attempting to cross 76th Street. The witness told police she stopped to help and interacted with the driver of the pickup truck, who she said was wearing a blue "puffy" jacket. The witness said the driver appeared to be shaken, but she did not see any visible injuries. The witness went on to say the pickup truck driver then "grabbed some items from inside the truck and then got into one of the (other) vehicles that had also been racing," the complaint says. That vehicle fled the scene.
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Scene near 76th and Glendale, Milwaukee
Airbag Control Module data
By the numbers:
Police searched the crashed pickup truck at the scene of the crash. They were able to recover the vehicle's Airbag Control Module (ACM). Data from the ACM showed the pickup truck was traveling 106 miles an hour 2.5 seconds before impact, 107 miles an hour 1.5 seconds before impact, and 101 miles an hour 0.5 seconds before impact. The speed limit at 76th and Glendale is posted as 35 mph.
Investigators also found identifying documents in the pickup truck, including multiple receipts with the name "Dayton Milligan" on them, along with VISA and Mastercard debit cards for "Dayton Milligan." Officers also recovered a blue Dodgers baseball cap and a yellow visitors tag for Children's Hospital dated the same day as the crash. Security video at the hospital showed Milligan entered the pickup truck, driving away 23 minutes prior to the crash.
When officers conducted a records check for Dayton Milligan, they learned he was "currently on Department of Corrections monitoring," the complaint says. Officers were able to get a DOC photo of the defendant dated Jan. 13.
Arrests made
Dig deeper:
On Jan. 16, Milwaukee police were able to locate and arrest Milligan.
Police arrested co-defendant Earl Gordon on Jan. 19, as he was walking to a vehicle. Officers spoke with a woman who knew Gordon. She indicated she spoke with Gordon by phone late on Jan. 15. Gordon said "'something' had happened to his cousin, Defendant Dayton Milligan," the complaint says. The next day, the woman said Gordon "showed up at her residence and asked to stay on her couch," the complaint says. She stated, "by this time she had already seen the news and knew from the video of the crash and the vehicles involved that Defendant Milligan was involved in the fatal crash," the complaint says. When the woman confronted Gordon about this, Gordon said he was driving his vehicle and he lost sight of the pickup truck and another racing vehicle. Gordon told her "he saw a large cloud of smoke and saw the crash. Defendant Gordon told (the woman) that he then drove to the crash scene, picked up Defendant Milligan and fled the scene," the complaint says.
Earl Gordon
On Jan. 19, Milwaukee police executed a search warrant at a residence on the city's northwest side. Officers "located a blue 'puffy' jacket consistent with Defendant Milligan's from the Children's Hospital video on the day of the crash," the complaint says. Next to the front door, officers also located a bandage/pads box, "a pair of dark jeans with possible blood on the knees," other clothing with suspected blood on it, and a black firearm under a living room mattress. Officers also recovered the title for the striking (pickup truck).
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Court filings show defendant Milligan was convicted in June 2021 in Ashland County for second-degree reckless homicide and hit-and-run causing death. Defendant Gordon was convicted in March 2023 of hit-and-run causing great bodily harm.
Milwaukee fatal crash; family of Milwaukee EMT killed speaks out
The family of a Milwaukee EMT killed in a hit-and-run near 76th and Glendale on Thursday, Jan. 15, is speaking out, thanking the community and first responders as police search for the fleeing driver.
Court appearances
What's next:
Milligan and Gordon were both scheduled to make their initial appearances in Milwaukee County court on Wednesday, Jan. 21.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, the criminal complaint associated with this case, and previous FOX6 News coverage.