Milwaukee shooting: 6-year-old dead, mother, uncle charged

MILWAUKEE - Two people have been criminally charged in connection to a shooting that left a 6-year-old boy dead in Milwaukee. Family members identified the boy as Daquell Collins, whom they called "King." The shooting happened near 51st and Hope on April 1, 2025. 

The accused have been identified as 21-year-old Quintell Collins and 26-year-old Daquela Collins. They are siblings. Daquela Collins is the mother of the victim.

Fatal shooting

What we know:

According to the criminal complaint, around 9:30 p.m. on April 1, a woman called 911 and said, "I think my grandson shot himself." The caller said she was asleep in her room when she heard a loud noise and ran into the living room where she found her grandson and "he was dead."

When first responders from the Milwaukee Fire Department arrived at the scene, they found 6-year-old Daquell Collins lying on the living room floor. Crews attempted lifesaving measures. However, the child died at the scene. A firearm was found next to the child's left foot on the floor.

An autopsy concluded that Daquell Collins died due to complications from a single gunshot wound to the head.

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While on scene, law enforcement found a bullet hole in the blinds to a window on the west side of the living room. The bullet appeared to travel through the blinds, into the window frame, and into the wall.

Near the front window there was a glass bar. On top of the glass bar was a 9mm Palmetto State Armory semi-automatic handgun. The Palmetto 9mm had a single spent casing in the chamber.

Surveillance video

Dig deeper:

While on the scene, a detective was informed that a nearby residence had surveillance video. The surveillance video captured two males leaving the residence immediately after the shooting, per the complaint, 

According to court filings, the video showed one of the male subjects, later identified as Quintell Collins, running into an alley and placing an object underneath a garbage can in the alley. 

The object was found and recovered by police underneath the garbage can, and was determined to be a firearm with an extended magazine. 

Additionally, a white Buick was later observed on surveillance video in the alley where Quintell Collins previously stashed his firearm. Per the complaint, the video showed two people exiting the white Buick and searching underneath the garbage cans in the alley. The same car would return to the alley a second time to allegedly check for the firearm again, court filings say.

In custody interview | Daquela Collins

The backstory:

On April 2, detectives interviewed Daquela Collins. She told officials that she bought a gray semi-automatic Palmetto State Armory 9mm handgun last month. Collins kept the firearm unsecured in a black gun bag inside the front room closet, according to the complaint. 

Daquela Collins said she purchased the firearm because her brother, Quintell Collins, "be into it with people" and Daqualla Collins "wanted to feel protected," per the complaint. 

Daquela Collins said the last time she saw her firearm was on March 31, when she looked inside her gun bag. Daquela Collins confirmed that her brother Quintell Collins, a convicted felon, also had a gun in the home and went armed with the gun daily, court filings say. 

According to the complaint, Daquela Collins told law enforcement that on April 1 she was at work when her mother called and said 6-year-old Daquell Collins "is dead!" 

Daquela Collins says she left work and immediately rushed home to find her home surrounded by first responders. 

Earlier in the day, on April 1, Daquela Collins told detectives that she received an Instagram video from her brother, Quintell Collins. The video showed Quintell Collins playing with two firearms inside the home. 

Quintell Collins was rapping in the video while holding the two firearms. Six-year-old Daquell Collins was in the background of the video, lying on the couch, court filings say. 

According to the complaint, one of the firearms was Daquela Collins’s gun. The second gun was Quintell Collins’s gun. Upon seeing the video, Daquela Collins messaged Quintell Collins and told him, "put my [expletive] down." Quintell Collins responded with a laughing emoji, court filings say. 

After reviewing Quintell Collins’s Instagram video on Daquela Collins’s phone, detectives showed Daquela Collins surveillance video of two male individuals leaving the residence immediately after the child was shot, with one of the subjects placing a firearm underneath a garbage can in the alley, court filings say. 

Per the complaint, Daquela Collins confirmed that the subject in the video was her brother, Quintell Collins.

Quintell Collins located | police chase

What we know:

On April 3, Milwaukee police received a tip that Quintell Collins was at a residence near 38th and Glendale. Upon arrival at the scene, police saw a person matching the description of Quintell Collins entering a black 2015 Jeep Cherokee, according to the complaint. 

The black 2015 Jeep Cherokee had no registration or plates on the back of the vehicle, court filings say. Police attempted to conduct a traffic stop. 

Instead of pulling over, the black 2015 Jeep Cherokee took off, reaching speeds of 83 mph in a 25 mph zone, per the complaint.  The pursuit ended after stop sticks were deployed. 

The complaint states the pursuit lasted more than three miles and involved Quintell Collins committing at least nine stop-sign violations, two red light violations, driving into oncoming traffic in the wrong lane of travel on four occasions, and driving up onto the sidewalk at one point to avoid striking cars in oncoming traffic.

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On multiple occasions, Quintell Collins drove the black 2015 Jeep Cherokee in a reckless fashion into oncoming traffic, resulting in numerous cars having to pull to the side or break to avoid a collision with Quintell Collins, according to the criminal complaint.

In custody interview | Quintell Collins

What we know:

On April 4, detectives interviewed Quintell Collins. During the interview, he claimed that he was not inside the residence when the child was shot on April 1. He denied hiding a gun in the alley and claimed he had no knowledge that there were guns in the residence. 

Charges

Quintell Collins is charged with the following: 

• Neglecting a child – consequence is death
• Second degree reckless homicide
• Two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon
• Second degree recklessly endangering safety
• Operating a motor vehicle to flee or in an attempt to elude an officer
• Obstructing an officer

Daquela Collins is charged with the following: 

• Neglecting a child – consequence is death
• Straw purchasing of firearm

Court proceedings

What they're saying:

"No one else operated or handled those firearms after he did, and we now have a six-year-old child, his nephew, dead in this community because he, a convicted felon, had to possess firearms, had to flaunt those firearms," said Deputy District Attorney Matthew Torbenson.

Prosecutors did not say who shot Daquell, or how it happened.

Quintell's defense attorney implied Daquell got hold of the gun and shot himself.

What's next:

Quintell Collins made his initial appearance in court on April 7. Cash bond was set at $100,000. He is due back in court on April 15 for his preliminary hearing.

Quintell faces up to 116 years in prison and a fine of up to $295,000.

Daquela Collins made her initial appearance in court on April 6. Cash bond was set at $10,000. She is due back in court on April 15 for her preliminary hearing.

Daquela faces up to 35 years in prison and a fine of up to $125,000.

Crime and Public SafetyMilwaukeeNews