MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee police are asking for the public's help finding a suspect in the quadruple shooting and fire that left an elderly woman dead and three others injured near 22nd and Clarke on Aug. 24.
Police identified the suspect as 57-year-old Leslie Matthew Bost of Milwaukee. He was charged with first-degree reckless homicide and four counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Milwaukee Police at (414) 935-7360 or Crime Stoppers at (414) 224-Tips or P3 Tips App to remain anonymous.
A criminal complaint released Thursday states officers were sent to the area for a ShotSpotter complaint, which is a technology that alerts police to gunshots it logs.
Responding police found one person dead in a plastic chair near the front of the home. Officers found two other people shot and injured inside the home - and a fourth person hiding in a closet. The last victim was located at the hospital with a gunshot wound.
While officers were at the scene of the shooting, they noticed smoke billowing from the home next door, which became a two-alarm fire that drew fire crews to the scene.
Footage from a security camera showed the shooting happen, police say. First, it shows the victims hanging out on the front porch and talking. A light turns on, showing another person walking over to them. The man then raises a gun and opens fire on the victims, the complaint states.
The video shows the shooter pause and then resume shooting. The video also showed that the upstairs unit was set on fire.
The sister of the defendant told officers that she moved into the house next door to where the shooting happened because their mother died and she didn't believe her brother could take care of the home.
The sister says on the night of the shooting, she saw her brother walk out of the home with a bag. About 10 minutes later she said she heard gunshots. The sister looked out of the home and spotted her brother shooting at the victims on the porch. She then learned that part of the duplex was on fire.
The sister told officers she doesn't know why her brother would shoot those people. She said her brother "is a very private person who holds grudges for a long time." She added that her brother was mad at one of the victims for some work he did to their house that he didn't like. She also said a few years ago the defendant had a "dispute over some grass in the backyard."
A warrant has been issued for Bost's arrest.
Family identified the victim as 82-year-old Shirley Mallory. Her son says he knows the shooter and can’t understand why he opened fire.
Gregory Mallory says he's known the shooter since he was young, but always had a weird feeling about him.
"Always told my dad, hey he's kind of weird leave him alone," Gregory said. "My dad would be the kind of person to say something, but he left him alone."
When officers arrived on the scene, they found an 82-year-old woman who had died from gunshot injuries. An 88-year-old Colorado woman suffered serious gunshot injuries and was taken to the hospital.
An 85-year-old man and a 65-year-old man were also shot and taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
In a video we got from a nearby neighbor you can't see much, but do hear people laughing, shortly after a barrage of gunfire rang out.
Police said the fire department extinguished the flames, and no firefighters were injured. The home is associated with the suspect of the shooting, according to police.
During a press conference Wednesday night, the fire department said the shooter had retreated into the house following the shooting.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting and the fire are still under investigation.
A man who grew up in the neighborhood rushed over when he heard the news.
He tells TMJ4 News a block party was scheduled for the area to celebrate the 53206 neighborhood on Saturday. He says after this "devastating" incident, he isn't sure it will happen anymore.
Milwaukee police are now seeking a known suspect and are asking anyone with information to contact them at 414-935-7360 or Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS.
The Victims
Mallory's son, Gregory, said his father, an aunt visiting from Colorado, and a family friend was among those shot. They are expected to survive.
Gregory and neighbors said the shooting broke out while the victims were enjoying themselves on a porch.
"She was great. Didn't bother nobody," Gregory said. "She had her fun, raised me and my older sister."
Shirley, who went by Sue, was married to her husband Ivory for about 60 years.
Neighbors described them as welcoming and friendly.
"They were very nice neighbors, always talking to everyone. They said hi to you when they were out, and we talked to them all the time," said one neighbor who did not want to be identified.
A neighbor's camera caught the gunfire and people confronting the shooter.
"It's not a random stranger or something like that," Gregory said.
Gregory and neighbors said the suspect lived next door to the Mallorys, and they did not know him to be violent.
It is unclear what sparked the shooting.
