Milwaukee teen accidentally shoots, kills mother while trying to stop stepdad's assault on her
A 17-year-old in Milwaukee accidentally shot and killed his mother while trying to protect her from an assault by his stepfather, prosecutors say.
The stepfather accused of domestic violence, Ziare Dalton, 26, was charged on May 5 with felony murder in the case.
The teen fired the gun after Dalton threatened to kill him, his mother and other family members, according to a criminal complaint. The shooting occurred April 18 in Milwaukee's King Park neighborhood. Two other children, ages 9 and 11, were in the home at the time.
The complaint cites a 911 call made by the woman that night, when she reported being hit by her partner and her partner starting to beat her 17-year-old son and threatening to kill him.
The recording captured a man screaming in the background, then 10 gunshots.
After the shooting, the woman's children, including the 17-year-old, told authorities Dalton assaulted her multiple times before, according to the complaint.
Milwaukee police had been called to the family's address at least six other times since 2023 for reports of property damage, battery and a person with a gun, according to a Journal Sentinel review of police calls for service. The calls were made to the address of the apartment complex where the family lived, but it is unclear if they were the caller in every instance.
The teen told police he arrived home and heard his mother trying to get his stepfather to leave during an argument. His stepfather threatened to kill him and his mother, and began attacking his mother as she called 911, according to the teen's account to police.
That's when the teen grabbed a gun.
"(He) stated that he fired to protect his family, and that he did not know that he had struck his mother until later," prosecutors wrote in the complaint.
The teen also told police he had bought the gun used in the shooting, which prosecutors described as an "assault rifle-style pistol," from Facebook a few weeks earlier.
The teen was charged with possessing a dangerous weapon as a minor and possessing a firearm after having been adjudicated delinquent, or found guilty, in a previous juvenile proceeding.
The Journal Sentinel is not naming the teen because he also is a victim in the case. The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to a question about prosecutors' charging decisions.
The teen's mom was taken to a hospital for treatment. She died from her injuries April 22 and the teen turned himself in to police on April 26.
Dalton also was wounded in the shooting and taken to a hospital. He was under the custody of police as of May 7, according to a department spokesperson.
This is not the only time children have witnessed fatal domestic violence in Milwaukee.
A child was present in at least 43% of 178 domestic violence and family homicides between 2016 and 2022 in Milwaukee County, according to a Journal Sentinel investigation.
The analysis also found a small but rising number of retaliatory homicides, as people tried to seek justice for loved ones experiencing domestic abuse and took matters into their own hands.
At least nine of those types of killings occurred from 2020 through 2022, according to the Journal Sentinel analysis, which was published in 2023.
The family at the center of this most recent case is being helped by The Asha Project, said Antonia Drew Norton, the nonprofit's founder and executive director. The Asha Project provides culturally specific domestic violence services for African American women and others in Milwaukee.
The prevalence of guns in homes worsens situations like this, she said.
"People have to learn to address domestic violence," she said. "People have to understand the signs."
How to find help: What to do if you or someone you care about is in an abusive relationship
She urged children witnessing violence in their homes to reach out to a trusted adult, such as a relative, social worker, teacher, coach or someone else, to share what's happening.
"Let somebody know what's going on and some intervention can take place," she said.
Ashley Luthern of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at dclarey@gannett.com.
Domestic violence advocates can help with safety planning. Calls to advocates are confidential and do not involve law enforcement. More local resources can be found here.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233.
The Sojourner Family Peace Center in Milwaukee operates a 24-hour confidential hotline at 414-933-2722.
The Milwaukee Women's Center offers a 24-hour crisis line at 414-671-6140.
The Women's Center in Waukesha has a 24-hour hotline at 262-542-3828.
We Are Here Milwaukee provides information on culturally specific organizations at weareheremke.org.
The Asha Project, which provides culturally specific services for African American women and others in Milwaukee, provides a crisis line from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 414-252-0075.
The UMOS Latina Resource Center in Milwaukee offers bilingual, bicultural domestic violence, sexual assault and anti-human trafficking supportive services and operates a 24-hour hotline at 414-389-6510.
The Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center offers culturally sensitive, trauma-informed services for those who have experienced domestic or sexual violence and can be reached at 414-383-9526.
Our Peaceful Home, which serves Muslim families and is a program of the Milwaukee Muslim Women's Coalition, operates a crisis line at 414-727-1090.
The Hmong American Women's Association, which serves the Hmong and Southeast Asian community, has advocates available at 414-930-9352 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin has a statewide directory of resources at endabusewi.org/get-help.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee teen shoots, kills his mom while trying to defend her
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