Downtown Penthouse Shooting Was Over Bad Bitcoin Deal: Police

MILWAUKEE, WI — Police in Milwaukee say a failed Bitcoin transaction between three men turned deadly serious in one of the city's highest-priced downtown condominiums.

The setting for this crime is a million-dollar condo at The 601 Lofts on Ogden Ave., a complex that has its own waterfall and 11-person home theater. According to real estate records, the condo where the crime took place was previously listed as a posh penthouse for $2.7 million.

According to Milwaukee Police, Jonathan Royce, 28, of Oak Creek, was in one of the 601 Lofts Condominiums as a guest on Dec. 30, and was trying put the brakes on a deal to sell an unspecified amount of Bitcoin - an electronic form of currency - to another person during an apparent transaction meeting in a residential unit.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Milwaukee County, a man identified as "Dallas" was attempting to persuade Royce to complete the sale to a third person, with Royce resisting. As the deal soured, police say Royce pulled out a silver .32 caliber handgun, pointed it across the room in the general direction of "Dallas" and an associate, and fired one round, striking a stove vent.

Police say they responded to the scene and found Royce attempting to get into a Subaru with Montana plates. Royce was arrested, and police reported recovering the handgun from a bag on the back seat of his vehicle.

Police are reporting that they found a matching .32 caliber bullet in the condo during their investigation.

According to court documents, Royce has been charged with second-degree recklessly endangering safety, and faces up to five years behind bars.

Image Via Google Street Map