Milwaukee officers shot, Tremaine Jones trial: Live updates April 3

MILWAUKEE - Both the state and defense have rested their cases on Friday, April 3, in the trial of Tremaine Jones. Jones is the man accused of killing Milwaukee Police Officer Kendall Corder and wounding Officer Christopher McCray in a shooting in summer 2025. 

Live updates | April 3, 2026

Closing arguments

11:30 a.m.:

At 11:30 a.m. Friday, the jury in the Tremaine Jones trial was brought back into the courtroom to hear the closing arguments of both the prosecution and defense teams. The prosecution will have once last rebuttle before the jurors begin their deliberations. The prosecution gets this rebuttle because it has the burden of proof in the case. 

State's closing argument:

Milwaukee County Assistant District Attorney Grant Huebner presented the prosecution's closing argument. He described the case as an "absolute tragedy."

Huebner began his closing argument with a timeline which began, he said, with an argument between the defendant and his girlfriend. Huebner said videos taken by people in the neighborhood near 25th and Garfield captured a person with a firearm, and the people who captured that video identified the defendant as the person with the gun. 

The assistant district attorney talked about all the 911 calls that were being made that evening of the shooting. 

Defense rests

10:47 a.m.:

The defense rested its case shortly before 11 a.m. without calling any witnesses. 

Judge Michelle Havas then read the lengthy jury instructions prior to a break. Closing arguments were expected to be held shortly after that. 

Defense motions

10:34 a.m.:

When court resumed, the defense motioned to dismiss the case. The judge denied that motion.

In a series of questions from Judge Michelle Havas, the defense indicated Tremaine Jones will not testify. Jones himself answered simple answers to all questions presented by the judge. He also answered to one question, "I will not testify."

The defense also asked that lesser charges be included on counts 1, 2 and 3 for the jury to consider. Those include first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree recklessly endangering safety and second-degree recklessly endangering safety. 

The state disagreed with adding charges to be considered by the jury, but did not have an opinion. 

Judge Havas then said she believes lesser charges are supported by the evidence.

State rests

9:55 a.m.:

After Milwaukee Police Detective Michael Driscoll finished his testimony about a jail call made by Tremaine Jones to his mother, the state promptly rested its case in the trial. 

The jury was excused at this point – and the court was then prepared to address any defense motions. 

Jail calls

9:29 a.m.:

The second witness of Friday was Milwaukee Police Detective Michael Driscoll. He was brought by the state to speak specifically about the jail call recording system at the Milwaukee County Jail. 

Detective Driscoll spoke at length, step-by-step, about how the jail call recording system worked. That system forces an inmate to enter an inmate ID and a PIN (personal identification number for any call to go out to whatever number they would like. The person on the receiving end receives a prompt that they have the option to accept or reject a call from an inmate in the jail. 

A jail call from Tremaine Jones to his mother was played aloud in court. Jurors were provided a transcript of that call so they could better understand what they were hearing. But in a jury instruction prior to the playing of that call, Judge Michelle Havas told the jurors they would not be allowed to keep the transcript – and must only consider what they hear as evidence in the case. 

Firearm forensics

9:04 a.m.:

Testimony resumed on Friday morning with Troy Chadwick back on the witness stand. Chadwick is a Wisconsin State Crime Lab Firearm and Tookmark Examiner. 

Chadwick was questioned about 16 cartridge casings that were found in the backyard of a residence near 25th and Garfield. He indicated all 16 cartridge casings were fired by the same firearm. When comparing the fired cartridge casings, all 16 casings were fired from the AR-15 firearm presented in the case. Four additional casings were located in another area at 25th and Garfield, and those casings were tested. Once again, Chadwick testified that the four additional casings were fired by a single firearm; the same firearm that fired the previous 16 cartridge casings. 

Chadwick was presented with bullet fragment evidence recovered from the crime scene in this case. He testified there were visible toolmarks on a jacket fragment, and that fragment was also fired from the AR-15 short-barreled rifle evidenced in this case. Similar fragments were recovered from Officer Corder's body as well as Officer McCray's protective vest. 

Thursday recap:

In the middle of testimony from a Wisconsin State Crime Lab firearm and toolmark examiner, court broke for the day due to time. The examiner's testimony is expected to continue when court reconvenes at 8:45 a.m. on Friday.

Thursday's testimony largely covered forensic evidence, including DNA samples and fingerprints. The deputy chief medical examiner, who conducted Corder's autopsy, and a woman who is charged with harboring/aiding Jones also took the stand.

The shooting

The backstory:

Milwaukee Police Officers Kendall Corder and Christopher McCray were shot near 25th and Garfield on the night of June 26, 2025. They were initially called for a report of a person with a weapon, which was upgraded to shots fired while they were on the way.

When they arrived and stepped out of their squad, they were unexpectedly shot in an alley. Assistant Police Chief Nicole Waldner noted the officers were unable to return fire. Milwaukee Police Association President Alexander Ayala described it as "an ambush."

Corder dropped to the ground, and McCray – who had been shot in the foot, leg and back – ran to grab Corder's firearm and protect him, according to a criminal complaint. Backup officers and a tactical team arrived shortly after the shooting.

The two officers were taken to Froedtert Hospital, a Level I Trauma Center. McCray was released from the hospital days later, while Corder died of his wounds on June 29. Court filings said Corder suffered three gunshot wounds, one of which severed his spine.

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Dig deeper:

Prosecutors said there were fights between groups of women over Jones and allegations of cheating. While at an apartment building before officers arrived, Jones fired shots into the air. The officers arrived a short time later.

McCray said he and Corder were walking down an alley when he saw a flash coming from some bushes and heard a bang that "sounded like a firework," according to the complaint. More flashes and bangs, which were gunshots, followed. 

Court filings said police recovered 16 total rifle cartridge casings at the scene "consistent with the shots being fired from the bushes" as McCray described. They later recovered a rifle along a fence line that the Milwaukee Police Department Fusion Center later determined was "consistent" with being the gun that fired all 16 rounds. Forensic investigators pulled a latent fingerprint, identified as Jones', from the weapon.

The complaint said police also found a social security card, birth certificate and several debit cards with Jones' name on them inside a backpack in a nearby backyard. There was a receipt from a West Allis gun shop that showed Jones bought a gun on June 17 and picked it up on June 19.

Jones was arrested the morning after the shooting at a home near 37th and Villard. A witness said Jones did not know he was shooting at the police and "thought it was someone else," according to court filings. The witness said Jones also said he had "better get out of there" because he had "just killed a cop."

Complete coverage

Dig deeper:

FOX6 News has followed the case from the time of the shooting to the trial. Read and watch more coverage below at the links below:

• April 2: Fingerprint, DNA evidence covered
• April 1: Officer McCray testifies, bodycam footage played in court
• March 31: Officers, detectives testimony covers scene response, evidence
• Tremaine Jones trial: Jury selection begins for man accused of shooting Milwaukee police officers
• Milwaukee Police Officer Kendall Corder laid to rest, loved ones say goodbye
• Milwaukee police officers shot, Tremaine Jones charged
• Remembering Milwaukee police officers who died in the line of duty