Milwaukee, WI — A local man has been charged with the shooting death of a 29-year-old mother, an incident that occurred in October, rocking a Milwaukee neighborhood. Olijejuan Jelks, 34, faces charges of first-degree reckless homicide along with two other gun-related felonies.
On the evening of Oct. 11, at approximately 9:45 p.m., Milwaukee Police responded to a reported shooting near 25th and Kilbourn. At the scene, they found Anita Smith, who was pronounced dead. According to authorities, Smith and her 10-month-old child were in their home preparing for bed when gunfire erupted outside.
Court documents reveal a witness account stating that as Smith and her child were settling down, the sound of multiple gunshots was heard. The witness, attempting to protect the child, felt the sting of shattered glass and quickly discovered Smith had been fatally shot. In a desperate act, he shouted for someone to dial emergency services.
Further investigation by detectives found that the exterior of Smith’s home bore several bullet marks, with at least two projectiles penetrating through windows into the room where she was shot. Surveillance footage acquired from the area depicted audible evidence of the 10 gunshots and captured the alleged perpetrator’s movements around the neighborhood before and after the tragic incident.
Investigators also retrieved video from a nearby apartment building showing a suspect matching Jelks’ description. The visual evidence, according to the filed criminal complaint, “clearly” displayed the face of the accused.
In the days following the shooting, Milwaukee police received an anonymous tip pointing to a suspect known as “Mook.” Cross-referencing this information with police records identified “Mook” as a known alias for Jelks. Upon reviewing a previous booking photograph, detectives recognized Jelks as the individual from the surveillance footage.
Additionally, records indicated that at the time of the shooting, Jelks was under the active supervision of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections stemming from a prior felony drug conviction. Several acquaintances, along with his probation agent, confirmed Jelks’ identity as the individual in the video.
On Nov. 1, while authorities were conducting a search near 15th and Fond du Lac, Jelks was spotted. Reports from the scene indicated that upon noticing law enforcement, he appeared to reach towards his waistband, followed by a sound described as a “heavy metal object striking concrete pavement.” Upon his arrest, officers recovered a handgun near the location where the sound was heard.
Currently, Jelks is detained at the Milwaukee County Jail with bail set at $200,000. The community remains shaken by the event as the case continues to develop, highlighting ongoing concerns about gun violence in residential areas.