MILWAUKEE — Entering the juvenile court room Monday, a 14-year-old dragged his orange sock-clad feet in detention center-issued slides across a carpeted floor past his mother.
His mother is now facing a reality where she could potentially lose two of her sons; one to the afterlife and the other, to the legal system.
“I just wanted to hug him and tell him how much I love him,” Tashia Simmons said. “Keep him up in prayers. That’s it.”
Simmons is navigating a difficult to process world. She has one son who is gone forever: 9-year-old Harry was killed July 25th near 76th and Mill when a gun accidentally went off in the back of a cousin’s car.
But the person responsible is the one she’s here to see at the Vel R. Phillips Juvenile Justice Center. So while she mourns the loss of one, she’s supporting the son she still has here. She has to be there for her son during the most trying time in his life.
“He talks to me about his brother,” Simmons says. “How much he misses his brother. He just wants to come and see him.”
Monday, the 14-year-old entered a denial plea; essentially a plea of not guilty in Children’s Court. According to police, the 14-year-old shot Harry after finding a gun inside their 43-year-old cousin’s car. The cousin had stopped at a liquor store near 76th and Mill and when he ran inside, the 14-year-old found the gun. Surveillance video shows the frantic and panicked aftermath for the 14-year-old, after realizing what had just happened. It’s a reality that Simmons says he’s still coming to grips with.
“He’s really emotional,” Simmons said. “He’s sad. He didn’t mean to hurt [Harry], his brother, at any point.”
Simmons remembers a life where the two brothers were inseparable. She says the boys would play video games together, go to the park and read books together. Harry was a boy with a spirit that could be felt as soon as he cracked a smile.
“He was very joyful,” Simmons said of Harry. “He brightened up the room with his smile. He was the life of the party. He was athletic and loved to play sports like basketball. He was on the honor roll.”
Simmons gave up custody of her two boys about eight years ago when her uncle took the kids under his supervision. It was a very difficult decision for Simmons but she says she was getting back on her feet. She works as a nurse, taking care of others, and she was ready to start taking care of her boys again.
But now, that won’t happen. It’s a frustrating reality for her because she feels her cousin should be held responsible for leaving the kids unattended with a gun in the car.
“I’m sad because my son’s life, he still could have been here,” Simmons said. “It could have been prevented if he had been more responsible as a big cousin and just took the firearm with him and not left it in the car.”
The District Attorney’s Office says it’s still reviewing potential charges against the 43-year-old cousin.
While Monday’s court appearance focused on a plea for the 14-year-old, a bigger question rose to the top. Can the 14-year-old leave the detention center later this week to say goodbye to Harry at his funeral on Friday?
“This is a request that’s new to me as well,” Judge Kristela L. Cervera said. “I would need to know specifics about what the procedure is and the motion can be filed for the courts to consider prior to Friday. So, time is of the essence. I would need all the information as well in order to make a determination.”
The lack of an answer pushed the 14-year-old to tears Monday. It’s a decision that could help a grieving mother take some solace in knowing her sons can say farewell appropriately.
“It would mean a lot to me,” Simmons said. “I feel like he loved his brother and deserves to be a part of his brother’s funeral.”
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