Milwaukee fatal shooting; third man now charged, warrant issued

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee County prosecutors have now charged a third man in connection to a fatal shooting that happened in March, and court records show a warrant has been issued for his arrest. 

In Court:

Bookie Simmons-Matthews, 19, is charged with first-degree reckless homicide and first-degree recklessly endangering safety. 

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Dig deeper:

Court records show Simmons-Matthews was charged with misdemeanor resisting/obstructing for an offense that happened on the same day as the shooting. He was released on a $1,000 signature bond, and a bench warrant was issued in April after he failed to show up for a court date.

Prosecutors previously charged Amarion Washington in the shooting and Henry Tyler in a police chase that followed.

107th and Stark

The backstory:

Police were called for a shooting around 2:30 a.m. on March 13. When officers arrived at the scene near 107th and Stark, they found two people shot in a white Buick. One victim died, and the other victim was taken to a hospital.

A criminal complaint states there were at least 19 bullet strikes to the driver's side of the Buick, and 21 bullet casings – 14 from a rifle, seven from a handgun – were found near the Buick.

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Officers recovered surveillance video from multiple homes near the scene. Court filings said none of the video captured the shooting, but it did show the suspects arriving and fleeing the scene. Investigators used that video to identify a white Ford with "distinctive damage" as a suspect vehicle.

A few hours later, an officer was on routine patrol when he spotted a white Ford that matched the suspect vehicle's description. When the officers tried to pull it over near 24th and Melvina, the complaint said it sped away and led the officer on a chase.

The pursuit covered more than four miles through the city until the driver crashed into a fence near 1st and Concordia. Three people then got out and ran. Court filings said Tyler got out of the driver's seat, per the complaint, and was caught in a nearby yard. After his arrest, officers found a rifle flash suppressor in his pocket. 

Washington got out of the back seat and was also caught near the crash scene, according to court filings. The third person, a passenger who was unidentified at the time, initially evaded capture. Court filings have now identified that person as Simmons-Matthews.

Police interviews

What they're saying:

Once in custody, detectives interviewed Washington. The complaint states he said he was in the white Ford with Tyler and Simmons-Matthews before the shooting when, at some point, someone called Tyler about a "suspicious" parked car outside his home.

Court filings said Washington told investigators that Tyler drove them to the "suspicious" car. Washington said he and Simmons-Matthews got out, and he tugged on the door handle. A woman inside then screamed and looked like she was about to drive away, so he and Simmons-Matthews backed away and opened fire. They then ran back to the Ford and drove away from the scene.

Prosecutors noted in the complaint that Washington's statement "matched up" with what was seen on surveillance video.

Detectives later searched Tyler's home and found a rifle, per the complaint. A preliminary forensic analysis determined it was the rifle that fired the 14 casings found at the homicide scene. When police interviewed Tyler, court filings said he identified Washington and Simmons-Matthews as the shooters.

Investigators found Simmons-Matthews' fingerprints on the Ford, according to the complaint. Detectives arrested and interviewed him after the shooting, and he said he was in the car when it fled and ran after the crash – but denied being present for the homicide at that time.