A pair of cousins has been charged in the murder of pizza delivery driver Clarence Taper in an apartment near 76th Street and Brown Deer Road.
According to the criminal complaint, Mekael Kennedy, 17, from Hartford and his cousin D’Andre Kennedy, 25, of Milwaukee robbed and shot the driver on Monday, Sept. 11 when he came to make a delivery. They then took the pizza Taper was delivering into the apartment and ate it.
One of his regular customers, Sheryl Cash said Taper went out of his way to help the older residents who live there.
"The man, Mr. Clarence, ever since I have been ordering from them he always delivered my food. He would stand there and talk with you. He was just real nice and kind. And he didn't have to come to your door, but he would come to your door," Cash said.
Police said on September 15, Mekael Kennedy's girlfriend placed an order to Buddy's Pizza and Steak, where taper delivered from. Mekael Kennedy took his cousin, D'Andre Kennedy's gun, put on a hockey mask and demanded Taper's money. Mekael Kennedy told police he had his safety on and didn't know why the gun went off.
According to the criminal complaint, Mekael Kennedy told the police the driver lunged at him and he didn’t know why the gun went off because he thought the safety was on.
But D'Andre Kennedy said his cousin shot Taper because he tried to take his mask off.
When D'andre Kennedy found out, he cleaned the gun and threw the bullets away.
Mekeal Kennedy also admitted to police that he robbed a Papa John's delivery driver earlier that same week but did not hurt him because he didn't fight back.
"It was senseless, it was just senseless," Cash said.
Mekael is being charged as an adult and faces armed robbery and murder charges. If convicted he could face up to 95 years in prison.
D’Andre was charged with harboring a felon and obstructing an officer and could face four years behind bars.
