Man Charged after Shooting Gun at Female, Children in Drive-By Shooting on West St.

RACINE -- A 32-year-old Racine man faces substantial prison time after police say he fired a gun in a drive-by shooting at a female and several elementary school-aged children on West St.

Maurice Ward has been charged with five counts of first degree recklessly endangering safety, seven counts of felony bail jumping, possession of a firearm, and discharging a firearm as a convicted felon.

If convicted, Ward could face up to 71 years behind bars. Because he is charged as a repeat offender, Ward could face additional prison time or fines if convicted.

According to his criminal complaint, a female was outside her residence on the 1400 block of West St. on August 1 when she observed a person she recognized as Maurice Ward drive past her home several times.

Police say Ward, who was in a maroon Pontiac, had been in a disagreement with the female's son, who was outside the residence Ward was driving past that day.

According to the complaint, there were also three children outside the residence at this time. The female stated she saw Ward in possession of a firearm, and fired a single shot toward the group outside of the home, police said.

According to the complaint, police interviewed all parties in front of the home at the time of the incident, and they all identified Ward as the person in the vehicle that fired a gunshot toward them.

Police say the people Ward shot at and Ward himself have known each other a substantial period of time, and therefore would be able to immediately recognize Ward. According to the complaint, officers located a single shell casing on the roadway near where the group was shot at.

Police located Ward on the 1300 block of Grand Ave. a short time later. According to the complaint, Ward initially denied firing the weapon, but eventually admitted that he was the person who shot the gun.

Police say Ward also gave police information on where the gun was located, but people at the residence were reportedly not cooperative with police.

Ward is currently being held in the Racine County Jail on a recommended bond amount of $30,000. Ward's nex scheduled appearance in court is a status conference scheduled for September 2, 2016 at 09:00 am.