Akeundi Willis
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee County prosecutors said stolen soda led to a shooting this summer. Now, an 18-year-old man is charged with first-degree reckless injury.
In Court:
Court records show Akeundi Willis, who was 17 years old at the time, made his initial court appearance on Friday. His bond was set at $50,000, and he's due back in court for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 11.
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12th and Keefe shooting
The backstory:
The shooting happened outside a restaurant on July 30. A criminal complaint said police arrived and found the victim, a 49-year-old man, had been shot in the leg.
Court filings said the victim told police that two people came in and one of them asked for free soda or water. The victim said he denied the request, and the people left but came back minutes later and stole two bottles of soda.
The victim followed the two people outside and yelled at them to "come back," according to the complaint, when one of the two people shot him. Police conducted a photo array, but the victim was unable to identify anyone.
Prosecutors said investigators used facial recognition, among other tools, to identify Willis as the suspected shooter. He was arrested without incident on Dec. 2.
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What they're saying:
Once in custody, court filings said Willis confirmed he was at the restaurant on the day of the shooting and identified himself in images from surveillance video. He said he was there with a friend who stole the bottles of soda.
The complaint said Willis told police he left in a different direction from his friend before he heard a gunshot. Detectives "confronted" him about his story, and he ultimately admitted that he shot the victim after his friend told him the victim had a gun.
Wills said he wanted to scare the victim and "was not thinking or paying attention" when he shot the gun, according to the complaint. He also said he did not see the clerk with a gun at any time.
The Source: FOX6 News reviewed information from the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.