MILWAUKEE — Court documents show that a gun deal between two groups, mostly teenagers, went badly before a dramatic shooting and head-on collision near 77th and Lisbon.
According to a criminal complaint, 18-year-old Josue Melendez accompanied a man and several others to sell a Glock 19 handgun on Sunday, March 20.
They met in an alley near 77th and Townsend. There, according to witness interviews with police, they met 20-year-old Trevon Galmore, who allegedly wanted to buy the gun.
Instead, the witnesses said, Galmore allegedly stole the Glock at gunpoint. He and several other people jumped in a Buick and sped off, according to the criminal complaint.
Melendez and the people he was with then allegedly got in a Honda to chase Galmore, the complaint states. The cars ended up meeting near 77th and Lisbon.
Melendez, using the gun he stole from Galmore's group, allegedly fired at the Buick before the two cars crashed head-on, according to the complaint.
The entire shooting and crash was captured on a neighbor's doorbell camera.
That neighbor, Jeaninne Bauer, said she saw Melendez, injured in the road, after the crash.
"These so-called friends are not friends. They're there to use you and then dump you in the middle of the street and take off," said Bauer, after learning about some of the young men involved.
Melendez was identified by the court as the person hanging out of the Honda's passenger window and firing a gun at an oncoming car.
He's been charged with endangering safety by using a weapon. If convicted, he faces up to 12.5 years in prison and/or a fine of no more than $25,000.
Galmore was charged with felony possession of a firearm and faces up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of no more than $25,000.
Police have arrested seven people in connection to the shooting and crash. But according to the district attorney's office, as of March 28, only Melendez and Galmore have been charged.
Their next court appearance, a preliminary hearing, will be held on Friday, April 4.
Bauer said she wants to do her part to improve public safety.
She said she's been canvassing the neighborhood with the intent to start a block watch.
"And maybe from that, it will spill out of this small neighborhood, into other neighborhoods," she said. "People need to be involved and not be afraid to speak out about anything that happens in your neighborhood."
