63 shell casings recovered
in Tuesday shoot-out at Garner Park

Leafy green Garner Park sits just north of the University of Wisconsin’s Hill Farms office park, on the northwest corner of Whitney Way and Mineral Point Road on Madison’s near west side. One of many parks, along with the lakes, bike paths, boutiques and coffee shops that make Madison a special place to live. Once upon a time.

Tuesday night 08-04-2020 shortly after 9 p.m. the park was crowded with over 300 people, the parking lot full and cars parked on the grass. They were there to “celebrate the life” of Maurice Bowman Jr., age 24, who was rubbed out in a running car gun battle on Schroeder Road just east of Whitney Way (and south of the Beltline) on July 25.

Those hated police were monitoring the crowd at Garner Park when they heard gunfire near the park pavilion. According to the MPD incident report, “Men, women, and children were seen fleeing from the gunfire.”

⇒ Downtown at roughly the same time, Madison alders again refused to help State Street businesses that were looted and boarded up by race rioters in June — not even $60,000, down from $250,000, which was down from the $500,000 originally proposed. They also introduced (for future action) a resolution creating a Civilian Police Oversight Board to second-guess police officers faced with split-second decisions. To sit in judgement of the police, the proposal requires at least one member have a criminal arrest record. (“Madison takes dead aim at police“)

Some celebration of life!

Three Garner Park celebrants sought treatment at local hospitals for gunshot wounds. Another two were injured by other than gunfire. None of the injuries are considered life-threatening.

A total of 63 spent shell casings were recovered at the scene. Shell casings included 42 handgun casings of multiple calibers and 21 rifle casings. Two spent bullets were recovered as were several live rounds associated with two firearms. (One of the firearms pictured here.)

Two arrests have been made. Charges include felon in possession of a firearm, possession of marijuana, and an outstanding warrant.

UPDATE: ⇒ Police Chief Vic Wahl said this afternoon Madison police have responded to 50 shots fired incidents and recovered 355 shell casings in the last month, which is almost as many recovered during all of 2019. There have been 11 people struck by gunfire in the last month, including Bowman.

“Every metric year to date as of last week in terms of shots fired and gun violence is off the charts,” Wahl said. “It’s really striking.”

Amelia Jones at NBC 15 has video the moment of the shooting. And the park trashed this morning.

⇒ For your reading pleasure: MPD spokesman Joel Despain on the brazen daytime theft of “Diamond.”

Blaska’s Bottom Line: Eight homicides so far in Madison compared to four all of last year. Shootings almost doubled. Police didn’t do any of them. Maybe if counsellors from the Mt. Horeb school district had been monitoring Garner Park Tuesday night …?

Should police monitor the Common Council?