Milwaukee teen shot while riding scooter; 56-year-old man accused

MILWAUKEE - A 56-year-old Milwaukee man is accused of shooting and wounding a teenager who was riding a scooter near 33rd and Villard on July 11. The accused is Terrance Toliver – and he faces the following criminal counts: 

• First-degree reckless injury
• Possession of a firearm by a felon
• Bail jumping (felony)

Teen shot on scooter

What we know:

According to the criminal complaint, Milwaukee police responded on Friday, July 11, to the area near 33rd and Villard for a shooting complaint. When officers arrived on the scene, they found a 17-year-old victim who had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to a hospital for surgery and treatment.

Investigators at the scene located a Lime scooter on the ground and "were informed the victim had been riding the scooter at the time of the shooter. Officers did not locate any casings but did recover a discharged bullet that was recovered on the curb in front of the same location," the complaint says.

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A witness told police he saw the victim on the scooter, heard four or five consecutive gunshots, and "then saw the person on the scooter fall over," the complaint says. A second witness indicated she was in a vehicle behind an SUV that she saw slow down before she heard four or five gunshots. This second witness saw the person on the scooter had been shot and called 911.

The day after the shooting, detectives spoke with the shooting victim. The teen said he was leaving summer school and decided to take a scooter. At one corner, the teen said he saw an SUV at the corner, waited to see if it would turn, and when it did not, he proceeded with the scooter. The victim told police he saw the SUV again and "the driver was looking at him and 'mean mugging' him. (The victim) stated he decided to cross the street but the vehicle pulled up and stopped again," the complaint says. The victim then told detectives he "crossed the street when he then heard about five gunshots coming from the suspect vehicle behind him. (The victim) stated he did not realize at first he had been shot," the complaint says. He told police someone came up and he asked for help before medical arrived.

Surveillance video captured shooting

Dig deeper:

Investigating officers located surveillance video from a business near the shooting scene. It shows the SUV and the teen on the scooter. The complaint says as (the victim) "is crossing the street, directly across from the driver's side of the SUV, (the victim) is seen falling off his scooter consistent with having been shot," the complaint says. Nearby surveillance and pole camera videos show the same SUV -- and investigators were able to get a license plate from the vehicle. That license was registered to the defendant, Terrance Toliver.

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On July 12, officers located the suspect vehicle parked on the street in front of an apartment complex on Milwaukee's northwest side. The vehicle was towed for evidence. Two days later, officers got a search warrant for the SUV and "located a 9mm spent casing on the rear driver side floorboard. Also inside were multiple identifiers listed to the defendant," the complaint says. That same day, the victim identified the defendant in a photo array as the person who shot him.

Defendant's interview with police

What they're saying:

On July 19, officers went to Milwaukee's northwest side to look for the defendant. He was located and arrested without incident. During an interview, the "defendant denied knowing anything about the incident. The defendant claimed he had been at his home all day and that no one used his car that day. The defendant could not provide an explanation as to why his vehicle was on Villard," the complaint says.

What's next:

Toliver was scheduled to make his initial appearance in Milwaukee County court on Thursday, July 24.