Waukesha serial theft case, man accused killed in Caledonia shooting
The Brief
Waukesha County prosecutors dismissed charges against a man in a theft case.
The man accused had been killed a week before the charges were even filed.
Investigators said he stole an SUV, tools and more. The investigation took months.
WAUKESHA, Wis. - Waukesha County prosecutors dismissed charges against the man at the center of a serial theft investigation on Friday after learning the man had been killed a week before charges were even filed.
Prosecutors told FOX6 News they spent nearly a year finalizing the case against 26-year-old DaShaun Elam, which was filed on April 14. Elam was killed a week earlier, but prosecutors said they were not made aware of Elam's death until April 17.
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What they're saying
Caledonia police said Elam was the victim of a fatal shooting on April 7. Police said the Milwaukee man was found with a gunshot wound to the head and taken to a hospital, where he died of his injuries.
Surveillance video captured the crime near 7 Mile Road and E. Frontage Road. It showed people leaving the scene as a man, now identified as Elam, fell to the ground.
What you can do
The shooting investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Caledonia Police Department at 262-835-4423 Ext. 1022.
The backstory
In May 2024, FOX6 News first reported about a Waukesha man who had 14 harmonicas stolen from his truck. Together, he said the harmonicas were worth about $1,500.
With the help of West Allis police, investigators found a car stolen on the same night as the man's harmonicas. Inside the car, police found stolen tools mixed together with seven of the man's instruments.
Dig deeper
Nearly a year later, FOX6 learned the person who police say was responsible for the crime – Elam – was accused of stealing a lot more in Waukesha County.
Investigators said he stole nearly $7,000 worth of tools from a company's work van. Court filings said Elam listed the tools on Facebook Marketplace under the name "Shaun Forever'Paid."
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Police set up a fake Facebook account and arranged to meet Elam to buy the tools, and investigators said Elam showed up in a stolen SUV. That SUV, along with the tools and harmonicas, had all been reported stolen within a week of each other.
The company that had tools stolen told FOX6 News that they got all of those items back about a day after they were taken.
The Source
Information in this report is from the Caledonia Police Department, Waukesha County District Attorney's Office, Wisconsin Circuit Court and prior FOX6 News coverage of the shooting and theft investigations.
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