Relatives identified the victim as Gregory McElwee III, a 42-year-old father of six.
MILWAUKEE, WI — A 42-year-old father and Army veteran was shot and killed Wednesday morning at a northwest Milwaukee apartment building after what relatives described as a noise complaint, police and family members said.
Relatives identified the man as Gregory McElwee III, who lived near North 94th Street and West Carmen Avenue. Milwaukee police said a 29-year-old man was arrested after leaving the shooting scene and crashing during a chase that ended several miles away. The case has shaken McElwee’s family because his 13-year-old son witnessed the shooting and called for help, relatives said.
The shooting happened just before 10 a.m. May 27 near 94th and Carmen, police said. Family members said McElwee was inside his apartment when someone came to the door and complained about noise. Patrick Dockins, McElwee’s uncle, said the apartment had been quiet before the confrontation. “There was a knock on the door, and he heard somebody complaining about noise,” Dockins said. “But there was no noise coming from their apartment. Their apartment was quiet.” Dockins said the exchange grew tense after McElwee opened the door.
Dockins said McElwee tried to end the conversation before shots were fired. He said the teenager pushed the gunman out of the apartment, closed and locked the door, and called 911. Contractors working inside the building also heard the gunfire. One worker said he heard yelling, then two shots, before he and others ran for safety. Police taped off the apartment building and parking lot for hours while investigators worked at the scene. A bullet hole was visible in a hallway after the shooting.
Police said the suspected shooter left the area in a vehicle. Officers later spotted the vehicle and began a pursuit that ended with a crash near North 124th Street and West Capitol Drive in Wauwatosa. Video from the area showed officers removing a man from a damaged black Audi after the crash. Police said the 29-year-old man was taken into custody. Authorities had not publicly released his name in the initial reports, and the circumstances leading to the shooting remained under investigation.
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Gregory McElwee III and said he died at the scene after being shot during a dispute with a neighbor. Relatives described McElwee as a father of six and an Army veteran who focused on his children and family life. Dockins said McElwee’s teenage son now faces the loss of the parent who had been his main caregiver. “He’s pretty much all he’s known all his life,” Dockins said.
Family members said the shooting left them trying to support McElwee’s children while also preparing for funeral costs. A fundraiser was started to help the family. Relatives also planned a vigil near 94th and Carmen to honor McElwee’s life. Dockins called the killing senseless and said the family’s attention is on the children, especially the son who was home when his father was shot. “It’s going to be hard for his son to make an adjustment,” Dockins said.
Police said charges will be referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office. No charging decision had been announced in the first public reports. Investigators have not released a full account of what happened before the shooting, including whether the suspect and victim knew each other before the confrontation. Officials also have not said whether a weapon was recovered. The case remains a homicide investigation as prosecutors review the evidence collected from the apartment building, the chase and the crash scene.
The shooting marked one of multiple gun violence investigations reported in Milwaukee that day. Police also investigated a separate shooting near North 40th Street and West Clarke Street, where a 33-year-old victim was wounded. In the 94th and Carmen case, officers moved quickly from the apartment scene to the pursuit in Wauwatosa, where the arrest ended the immediate search for a suspect. Family members said the arrest did not ease the shock of losing McElwee in front of his child.
As of Sunday, McElwee’s family was mourning, police had a suspect in custody, and the case was headed to prosecutors for review. The next major step is a charging decision from the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.
Author note: Last updated May 31, 2026.