WEST ALLIS, Wis. — A Milwaukee man was charged with homicide in connection to the deadly shooting of a 24-year-old mother of four in West Allis last week.
Wilson Medina-Cruz, 25, was charged with one count of first-degree intentional homicide, use of a dangerous weapon, on Friday.
RELATED COVERAGE: Woman shot and killed in West Allis was a mother of four, family says
Officers arrived around 12:30 p.m. near 72nd and Madison for reports of shots fired and screaming on Monday, July 18. There they found the 24-year-old woman, identified as Ninoshka M. Maestre Lozada, suffering from gunshot wounds in the backyard of a home. She later died at the scene of the incident. When officers arrived, a shooter was not there.
According to a criminal complaint, witnesses in the area say they heard several gunshots and then a man running from the scene. One of the witnesses took several photographs of the man when he was picked up by a Cadillac near 71st and Madison. The witness sent the photographs to a detective.
Security video obtained by police captured the Cadillac. Police made contact with the listed owner of the vehicle who said his friend who goes by the nickname "Juda" called him to pick him up. He said he picked him up then dropped him off near 15th and Becher and then he returned home.
A detective showed the photographs of the suspect to Lozada's sister who identified him as "Manuel Medina" who "she knew shot her sister." The victim's sister said he was Lozada's boyfriend of two to three years and they had three children together. She said he was physically abusive towards the victim in the past, the complaint says.
A detective was able to identify Medina-Cruz through photographs given to law enforcement by family members. A woman told a detective she has a child with Medina-Cruz and got pregnant at the same time as the victim, Lozada, which has been "the source of problems" between the three of them, the complaint says. The woman told authorities she was fighting on Facebook with Lozada the day of the shooting and that she received a phone call from Medina-Cruz after the shooting happened. According to the complaint, Medina-Cruz told the woman he shot Lozada and did not know whether she was dead or alive.
Medina-Cruz was arrested by the West Allis Police Department at a hotel in Oak Creek on Tuesday, July 19. While in custody, Medina-Cruz initially denied any involvement in the homicide and denied carrying a firearm. The complaint says after being confronted with evidence, Medina-Cruz eventually admitted to shooting Lozada with a 9mm firearm.
According to the complaint, Medina-Cruz told authorities they were arguing and Lozada "was swinging at him" and then he "just shot like crazy." He said he "closed his eyes and shot" but wasn't sure how many times. He also said he got rid of the gun somewhere in Burlington and then purchased a plane ticket to Puerto Rico and planned to fly there, the complaint says.
A cash bond of $500,000 was set for Medina-Cruz. He has a preliminary hearing on Aug. 2. If convicted, Medina-Cruz faces life in prison.
Lozada's family says she was a mother to four young children - the youngest is three months old. The family also says her oldest son, who is 5 years old, was with her at the time of the deadly shooting and witnessed it. The victim's family has established a Go Fund Me for funeral and childcare costs.
