Milwaukee mother asks suspect to turn himself in after 11-year-old's death
Mother speaks after 11-year-old son dies in shooting
Milwaukee police are searching for Christopher Taper after 11-year-old Samare Heard shot himself in the head under Taper's care. The boy's mom spoke to FOX6 about Samare and is asking for Taper to turn himself in.
MILWAUKEE - Jamie Campbell says her entire world changed in just a matter of minutes.
She should be preparing for the upcoming school year, instead, she's planning her 11-year-old's funeral.
"Prayer, God, and just all my memories with him," said Campbell.
These are the three things Campbell said are keeping her going.
"I just can't do a lot, and it hurts, and it's heavy," said Campbell.
Milwaukee police said Samare shot himself in the head Monday night near 60th and Thurston.
Campbell says she left home after 9pm to go to her third-shift job in West Bend. Her boyfriend of six years, Christopher Taper, was staying home to watch him. She said the last time she saw Samare was when he walked her to her car before going to work.
"I said 'I love you Mare, I gotta go'. He said, 'I love you too' and he stood there at the window for a minute, and he went in the house," said Campbell.
Samare Heard and his mother, Jamie Campbell
Campbell says she immediately got on the phone with Samare and Taper while heading to work.
Shorty after hanging up, she said Taper frantically called her back and said Samare shot himself. Campbell says she turned around and called her sister to go over to her home.
Court records say when her sister got there, she was upset there were no police or emergency vehicles. It appeared nobody called 911 and Taper was gone.
Police said Taper did not call 911 and left Samare to "die alone."
Campbell said she doesn't feel Taper left her son to die.
"I knew what he was to Chris, and I knew what Chris was to him," Campbell said. "He [Taper] seen him laying there and he rubbed his face and kissed him."
She said her son, who she called "Big Mare," just turned 11 in early August and was heading into the 6th grade. She said Samare loved to travel, was good in school and always helped around the house.
"He would help with laundry, he would pump gas, he would take the trash out without asking," Campbell said.
Campbell says her son was never around guns.
"He wasn't exposed to guns; he never seen one, touched one," Campbell said. "There was nothing to make me ever feel like my baby would ever leave the world like this. Nothing."
Although she doesn't know why Taper left, she wants one thing from him.
"I just want Christopher to turn himself in, and it's unfortunate, but you have to do the right thing. If you love us and you love my baby," said Campbell.
Campbell says she's also asking for prayers right now.
Taper is currently charged with neglecting a child — consequence is death, possession of a firearm by a felon and bail jumping. Police are looking for him with an active arrest warrant.
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s staff and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from Jamie Campbell, Milwaukee police, court records and an active arrest warrant.