Man Charged In Road Rage Killing Of 3-Year-Old Brooklyn Harris

MILWAUKEE, WI — Police in Milwaukee say the man accused of shooting and killing a 3-year-old child in a road rage incident on Milwaukee's north side over the weekend was found hiding under a front porch after the shooting.

Antonio Bratcher has been charged with first-degree reckless homicide, five counts of recklessly endangering safety, and fleeing an officer.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Milwaukee County, officers responded to the intersection of W. 42nd Street and W. Townsend Street at just after 8:30 a.m. Saturday on a report that a child had been shot.

Police say officers found the child, later identified as 3-year-old Brooklyn Harris, laying unconscious in the arms of her 25-year-old mother. Officers said Harris was not breathing, and had a gunshot wound to her head. An autopsy performed on the child determined that she suffered a gunshot wound on the right side of her head, and exited on the left side.

Officers noted the rear window of the car was shattered, with a large bullet hole in its center.

According to the criminal complaint, the mother drove to the 4200 block of W. Bonny Place with Harris, a 2-year-old son and another 3-year-old daughter in order to pick up her friend and 2-year-old daughter.

Harris' mother told police she began to pull away from the curb, but stopped abruptly. She saw a black SUV stopped behind her car, and hoped it would pass her. According to the criminal complaint, the SUV remained stopped behind her and wouldn't move. Harris' mother said she decided to pull away when she heard gunshots from behind her. She told police she turned around to find the black SUV following behind them.

Investigators say Harris' mother saw her daughter fall over, and in obvious distress. Both mothers ordered their children to hide near the floorboards of the car for their safety, the criminal complaint stated.

The Pursuit

According to the criminal complaint, two Milwaukee Police officers were on patrol in the area when they heard the report of the shooting, and that the driver, later identified as Bratcher, had fled.

Police said they saw his SUV a short distance away and tried pulling Bratcher over. When he refused to pull over, officers initiated a pursuit, reaching 70 miles per hour on the narrow 25-mile-per-hour streets of Milwaukee's north side.

According to the criminal complaint, Bratcher lost control of his vehicle as he tried negotiating a turn onto the 1600 block of N. 26th Street. Bratcher ran from the crash.

Police say they found the SUV tipped over onto its side. Investigating officers observed the word ‘Princess’ written in large cursive pink letters across the top of the windshield.

Police recovered the following items from the abandoned SUV:

Investigators say they recovered the following items from inside the black SUV following the shooting and crash.

1. A .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol with an unspent cartridge in the chamber, but no magazine in the well.

2. A pistol magazine loaded with eight unspent .45 caliber cartridges.

3. A single spent .45 caliber casing.

4. Multiple documents and pieces of mail bearing the name ‘Antonio Bratcher’.

Police officers say they began an intense house-to-house search near the crash. By 11:30 a.m., an officer scouring the area on foot found Bratcher hiding under a front porch in the 1600 block of N. 27th Street. He came out from his hiding place and ran, only to be tracked down and arrested on the 1600 block of N. 28th Street.

Authorities say fingerprint evidence collected from a gun found in the black SUV and a palm print found on the driver's side door of the SUV helped investigators confirm Bratcher's involvement in the crime.

According to court documents, Bratcher is being held in the Milwaukee County Jail on a bond amount in excess of $1 million. Authorities say Bratcher was convicted in 1998 of four counts of armed robbery.

News Shocks Community

Hundreds of people came out to the intersection of 42nd Street and Townsend on Saturday night to mourn little Brooklyn's death.

Amid cloudy skies and sweltering summer humidity, people gathered to honor her life and to share their grief with the family. A candlelight vigil was held, and numerous flowers and gifts were placed at a memorial. The group launched pink, white and heart-shaped balloons into the sky to mourn her passing.

"You don't need to settle no dispute with a weapon — a gun," area resident Randall Diggs said in a FOX 6-TV report. Diggs told the station that he heard gunshots, and became immediately worried for his mother, who was on the front lawn of a nearby house.

According to media reports, family and loved ones speaking at a Saturday night vigil said the girl, Brooklyn Harris, just turned 3 years old on July 1.

Brooklyn isn't the first child targeted in a road rage incident in Wisconsin. In 2016, a 2-month-old baby girl was shot during a road rage incident on I-43 in Milwaukee County. The girl survived the incident.