MILWAUKEE — Gloria Shaw stood at the corner of 6th Street and Juneau Avenue Thursday holding one of the pieces of her son she still has — his camera.
WATCH: Mother still waits for answers 4 years after son killed in Milwaukee hit-and-run
It is a reminder of who Xaiver Casanova Davis was becoming before his life ended at this same intersection four years ago.
Xaiver was 23, Shaw's only child and an aspiring photographer who hoped to become a photojournalist.
"Xaiver was the life of the party. God-fearing, gentle. Loving, caring, would give you the shirt off his back," Shaw said.
But to Shaw, he was more than her son.
"He was my best friend," she said. "He was loving and giving and the best thing that happened to me."
On Aug. 28, 2022, at about 12:34 a.m., police say Xaiver was walking in the crosswalk at 6th and Juneau, near Fiserv Forum, when a driver traveling northbound on 6th Street ran a red light and struck him.
The driver did not stop.
Xaiver was taken to Froedtert Hospital, where he died.
Police immediately began looking for a highly distinctive vehicle: a black 2021 or 2022 Ram 1500 TRX with amber lights in the hood scoop, flashing amber lights on both side mirrors, possibly flashing headlights and likely front-end damage.
The TRX was not an ordinary pickup.
In 2023, Milwaukee Police Crash Reconstruction Officer Daniel Robinson, the lead investigator, described the truck publicly as "a rare vehicle, very expensive and not something you see."
Four years after Xaiver was killed, one of the central pieces of evidence in the case remains missing.
MPD confirmed to TMJ4 this week that the truck has never been recovered and the person driving it remains unknown.
For Shaw, another anniversary without an arrest feels less like four years passing and more like being stuck at the beginning.
"I literally feel like I am still at ground zero," she said. "It really feels like the accident happened like yesterday with no information, no closure, no phone calls, no communication. I have nothing."
Shaw said the years without answers have brought sleepless nights, anger, frustration and grief, and that people have even told her she needs to move on.
"How can I get over losing my only child when you still have yours?" Shaw said. "It's time to give me some justice."
Questions about cameras and the missing truck
This is not the first time Shaw has returned to 6th and Juneau with TMJ4 looking for answers.
During a 2024 interview, Shaw pointed out seven security cameras on buildings surrounding the intersection that appeared to capture portions of the area where Xaiver was struck.
Four years after the crash, Shaw said she has never personally seen the surveillance footage investigators collected. She said the only images of the truck she has seen are the blurry pictures released publicly and shown in news reports.
"I'm not understanding why," Shaw said. "Why they couldn't track it. Why you couldn't get a good photo. Why you couldn't give me more information."
Police originally said the truck was last seen speeding northbound on 6th Street, north of McKinley Avenue.
Shaw said she has continued looking at similar trucks herself over the years.
"If I see a truck, I'm gonna try to take a picture of it and send it in," she said, describing multiple vehicles she has forwarded to Robinson only to learn they were not the one investigators were looking for.
Four years of doing that has taken a toll.
"It's frustrating," she said. "It's very frustrating."
Shaw also questions the communication she has received from investigators.
She told TMJ4 she has never met Officer Robinson in person and says she has never had an in-person meeting with any officer working her son's case. She said most communication has happened through phone calls and emails — often initiated by her.
Two years ago, Shaw told TMJ4 she wanted closure so she could begin healing.
TMJ4 asked this week whether she feels any closer to that closure, her answer was immediate.
"No," she said. "Nowhere close."
TMJ4 sends MPD 43 questions
As part of this four-year follow-up, TMJ4 sought a detailed update from Milwaukee police.
We sent MPD 43 questions covering the status of the investigation, the suspect truck, surveillance video, tips, physical and digital evidence and what investigative avenues remain open.
Among the questions: Was the truck ever confirmed stolen? How far did investigators track it on surveillance? What was the last location where it was captured? Was a license plate ever visible? How many tips have investigators received? And when did the case last generate a meaningful lead?
MPD did not respond to the questions point by point.
Instead, the department confirmed that Crash Reconstruction Officer Robinson remains the lead investigator, the vehicle has not been recovered and police continue to seek an unknown suspect.
"Unfortunately, there is no new information to provide," MPD told TMJ4.
TMJ4 then requested an on-camera interview with Robinson or another MPD officer who could speak about the case and make a renewed appeal for information.
MPD declined.
"We are not going to do an interview of an ongoing investigation," the department responded. "There is no new information to provide."
TMJ4 asked MPD to reconsider, explaining that an interview did not need to reveal sensitive investigative information and could instead explain what has made the case difficult to solve and what investigators still need from the public.
TMJ4 also reached out directly to Robinson seeking a conversation about the case.
As of publication, MPD had not agreed to an interview.
When Shaw learned about TMJ4's attempts to get additional answers from police, she said the response sounded familiar.
"I'm not surprised," Shaw said. "I am not surprised. Because just like they can't answer me, they can't answer you."
MPD maintains that the investigation remains active.
For Shaw, however, the limited communication has left her questioning where things stand.
"I see everybody else — 'Oh, they found this person here,' or 'They found it within minutes' — and here I am four years later," Shaw said. "With nothing, no communication, nothing, just nothing."
Then she asked the question she wishes investigators could answer.
"You're working for everybody else, but are you working for me?" Shaw said.
Xaiver's photography lives on
Xaiver's life has continued to leave an imprint on Milwaukee.
He was studying at Milwaukee Area Technical College, where faculty later curated a posthumous exhibition of his photography. The exhibit showcased what MATC described as his emerging talent as an urban street photographer.
His work also appears in the City of Milwaukee's Vision Zero Action Plan, the city's effort to eliminate traffic deaths and life-changing injuries.
The plan identifies Xaiver as a contributing photographer and also acknowledges that he was killed by traffic violence while following the traffic signal and walking across the street.
Four years later, his mother still carries his camera.
She also carries some of Xaiver's ashes in a necklace around her neck.
"He really hadn't seen much," Shaw said of her son, who was just beginning to travel and become more independent. "Me wearing him around my neck ... I can also expose him to things that he missed. And he can see it from around my neck."
Despite everything that has happened — and everything she still does not know — Shaw insists she has not lost hope that someone will eventually be held accountable.
"Absolutely," she said when asked whether she believes the case can still be solved. "That is something that I'm never going to give up on, that I will get my closure and I will get the justice that Xaiver deserves."
Shaw believes someone other than the driver knows what happened.
"How could you cover for somebody when they took a life?" she asked. "How can you live with yourself?"
Her message to the person behind the wheel is even simpler.
"It's been four years too long," Shaw said. "Turn yourself in. Let my son's soul rest, because you took him from me. Just do the right thing and turn yourself in."
And if that day ever comes — if the phone finally rings and police tell her they have identified the person responsible — Shaw knows exactly what it would mean.
"Finally I can breathe," she said. "I can stop holding my breath. I can stop looking around my shoulder."
Anyone with information about Xaiver Davis' death is asked to contact Milwaukee Police at 414-935-7360. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Milwaukee Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS (8477) or through the P3 Tips app.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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