Shooting at JJ Fish and Chicken in Milwaukee; settlement reached, juveniles charged

MILWAUKEE – A plea deal was negotiated for the two then-teenagers accused of shooting a man at JJ Fish and Chicken in Milwaukee in January 2023.

Javontae Jones pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on Wednesday, August 14, allowing Jones to avoid a trial. Sentencing is scheduled for October 2.

Jones was accused along with his cousin Jeffrey Coleman in the Jan. 1, 2023, shooting at the restaurant, court records say. Coleman pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter on Monday, Aug. 19. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 31.

Case details

According to a criminal complaint, on January 1, 2023, Milwaukee police responded to the JJ Fish and Chicken restaurant near the corner of 33rd and Villard to investigate a homicide. Investigators found the victim on the floor of the restaurant – he was pronounced dead.

Shooting at 32nd and Villard; Milwaukee's first homicide of 2023

Investigators discovered numerous shell casings, bullets and bullet holes in the restaurant. Outside in the parking lot, they discovered a deformed bullet and three shell casings.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines and breaking news alerts via email from FOX6 News

The criminal complaint states that exterior surveillance video of the restaurant was secured. It shows a person getting out of a vehicle and entering the restaurant. Two other people from a second car did the same. After about a minute, all three people are seen running out of the restaurant, getting into cars and fleeing the scene. One of the people is seen firing a gun – “due to an observed muzzle flash,” the complaint states.

Surveillance video from the restaurant shows a man entering the restaurant and approaching the counter with a gun in his waistband, the complaint states. About a minute later, the victim and another person entered the restaurant — and seconds later, two more people entered the restaurant. The first person to enter the restaurant pulled out a gun and “fired” at the victim and the person he was with, the complaint states. That person then pulled out a gun — and fired toward the front door. The complaint states two people “then fired multiple shots at each other.”

Shooting at 32nd and Villard; Milwaukee's first homicide of 2023

After that incident, investigators became aware that several juvenile shooting victims were on their way to the Children's Wisconsin emergency room. Among them was defendant Jones, the complaint states.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android

Investigators later identified Jones through her fingerprints, the complaint says. Two other people also identified Jones through a photo lineup. An officer later identified Coleman through a surveillance image of the shooting.