Steps away from the field at Washington High School, neighbors told TMJ4 they were woken up by the sound of gunshots Wednesday morning.
A neighbor TMJ4 spoke to anonymously says he opened the door to his home near 44th and Center around 2 a.m. to find police looking for answers.
"I heard gunshots, then shortly after police show up knocking on doors trying to get information," the neighbor said.
After the officers left, the neighbor told TMJ4 he went to work before realizing he had left his wallet at home. He then circled back home to retrieve it.
He went to his backyard to search for it when he found something else far worse.
"I thought it was a drunk person in my yard," he recalled. "And I'm like, 'Why is there a person here?' until I got a little closer and saw the blood on the abdomen area."
He saw the body of a 17-year-old who was shot overnight, on a pile of branches in the corner of his yard.
"I called the police and they had to come back, rope everything off, and do their investigation," he told TMJ4.
The 17-year-old was later identified on Thursday by the Milwaukee Medical Examiner's office as Jermiah M. Jester.
"What was going through your head when you realized what you were looking at?" asked TMJ4's Mariam Mackar.
"I'm definitely looking to get out of this neighborhood really quick, 'cause I have kids that live here. I can't have them experiencing this craziness," said the neighbor.
Milwaukee police say another 17-year-old was shot in the same area Wednesday morning and ran nine blocks away near 53rd Street before getting help.
That teenager is now in hospital with injuries.
Meanwhile, neighbors are still grappling with what they saw firsthand.
"I'm still shocked I found a body in my backyard," he said.
As the investigation continues, officials are still looking for unknown suspects.
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