Milwaukee police are connecting two shootings that left three people dead within a span of about 25 minutes Saturday night, as investigators continue searching for a known suspect.
The first shooting happened around 9:40 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, near 21st and Pierce streets.
Police say a 26-year-old and 29-year-old were shot and pronounced dead at the scene. Family members identify them as Vanessa DeHerrera, 26, and Scott Bucholz, 29.
In an updated statement on Monday, Milwaukee police confirmed the double homicide was domestic-violence related and said investigators are seeking a known suspect.
Vanessa's family spoke with TMJ4 about her over the weekend, stressing that she was much more than another name attached to a homicide investigation.
"It's more than a social media scroll. She was a mother, a daughter and a sister..."
Family members have said Vanessa had been trying to get away from a troubled relationship before she was killed.
Scott's family says helping people was simply part of who he was.
His mother told TMJ4 that Scott loved his family, was proud of his siblings, lived life to the fullest and had a way of making friends wherever he went. She said he could "light up any room" and was always willing to help someone in need.
The message he lived by, she said, was simple: "Kindness Matters."
A GoFundMe https://gofund.me/f4a95a4d3 created to help Scott's family, with funeral expenses, describes Scott as energetic, outgoing, family-oriented and someone who consistently showed up for the people he cared about.
The fundraiser says Scott was helping a friend during a domestic dispute when he was shot and killed. Milwaukee police have confirmed the shooting was domestic-violence related but have not publicly confirmed Scott's specific role in what happened.
The fundraiser says donations will go directly to Scotts Family to help with funeral expenses and other financial burdens as the family prepares to lay Scott to rest.
Scott was born and raised in Racine. His mother said friends were like family to him and that his kindness toward others is what she hopes people carry forward in his memory.
A second killing 25 minutes later
About 25 minutes after Vanessa and Scott were killed, Milwaukee police were called to another shooting several miles away.
At approximately 10:05 p.m., a woman was shot on the 3400 block of North 39th Street near Townsend Street. She was taken to a hospital, where she died.
Police initially described that victim as 39 years old. Her family identifies her as 38-year-old Shamarla Hare.
Hare's uncle, Marick, told TMJ4 she was a Navy veteran who joined the military immediately after high school.
She was also a mother of two — an 18-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old son.
"She was loved by all and she was just full of life," Marick told TMJ4. "To me she was more of a sister than my niece. She will truly be missed."
Her uncle describes Shamarla as an innocent victim in the violence.
What police have now confirmed is that the double homicide near 21st and Pierce and the fatal shooting near 39th and Townsend are related.
MPD has not publicly explained exactly how the two scenes are connected, what relationship existed among the three victims or what happened during the approximately 25 minutes separating the shootings.
Police also have not explicitly said whether the known suspect being sought in connection with the Pierce Street double homicide is believed responsible for all three deaths.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Milwaukee police at 414-935-7360. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or through P3 Tips.
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