MILWAUKEE, WI – A woman in Milwaukee faces the charge of first-degree reckless homicide after being implicated in a shooting that resulted in the death of 14-year-old Alijah Golden-Richmond. Authorities arrested Zariah Johnson, 22, in connection with the teen’s death.
Golden-Richmond was shot on Thursday near the intersection of 39th and Vliet streets, as evidenced by police markers tracing the trail of shell casings across 39th Street. The grief-stricken family expressed their shock and sorrow on Friday, with the victim’s grandmother, Amorsteen Zeqiri, sounding uncertain about the circumstances of the tragedy.
The criminal complaint elaborates on the events that transpired that fatal day. It describes an interview with one of Golden-Richmond’s friends who was with him at the time. The friend disclosed that they had intended to steal a car, and in the process, broke a car window near the 37th Street School then fled the scene.
Johnson initially pointed a finger at a man for the shooting during her questioning. But when confronted with a witness’s account identifying a female as the shooter and her mother’s confirmation that she was the shooter, Johnson broke down. She admitted to not intending to kill anyone but just wanted to “scare” them.
The car they attempted to steal belonged to Johnson’s sister, she revealed. Arming herself with her mother’s black handgun, Johnson began circling the area in search of the culprits who attempted the car theft. She confessed to firing at a group of four people, with one bullet striking Golden-Richmond in the back. He later died at the hospital.
Johnson admitted to going home after the shooting and tuning into a Facebook livestream of the crime scene, where she gleaned that the shooting had been fatal. Johnson is scheduled to appear in court this Wednesday.