Prosecutors: Man 'emptied his clip' into vehicle near 5th and Concordia, striking sleeping 7-year-old
Simone Downer
MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee man is facing charges after a 7-year-old boy was shot while in a vehicle outside a barbecue near 5th and Concordia on May 16. The injuries required partial amputation of the boy's leg.
Simone Downer, 44, faces the following charges:
According to a criminal complaint, police on May 16 responded to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin for a shooting complaint, where they were advised that a 7-year-old boy, Kamirion Smith, suffered a gunshot wound to his stomach, with the bullet continuing down his body -- striking an artery in his left leg. His lower left leg had to be amputated as a result.
Kamirion Smith
Simone Downer
The complaint said a witness indicated she attended a barbecue near 5th and Concordia in celebration of an individual who had recently been released from prison. She said Downer approached with a firearm and began threatening the man who had recently been released from prison. That man left the party in a Dodge Charger with two children inside, including the 7-year-old shooting victim, who was asleep in the back seat. The witness said Downer "emptied his clip" into the vehicle.
Another witness said he was at the barbecue, sitting on the porch near 5th and Concordia when Downer pulled a handgun on the man who had recently been released from prison -- threatening the man -- saying, "You went to court on my nephew." Downer then slapped the man with the firearm. The man fell to the ground, and then got up and walked to the Dodge Charger. As he drove away, at least five shots were fired into the vehicle. Downer then fled the scene in a vehicle.
Police recovered the Dodge Charger, and saw there were four bullet holes in it, along with two bullet impact marks.
An arrest warrant was issued on May 26, after charges were filed.
Downer made his initial appearance in court on Tuesday, May 28. The defense moved to dismiss the fourth charge -- possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a felony, and that was granted by the court. Probable cause was found for further proceedings, and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for June 6. Cash bond was set at $50,000.
FOX6's Aaron Maybin spoke with Kamirion Smith's father days after this crime. He said he "didn't think it would ever be me." He said the young boy was tired at the barbecue, so his mother put him in the vehicle to sleep.
"My son didn't do anything but sleep in a car. That's all he did," said Kenneth Smith.