Harry Bruce spent more than a decade teaching, coaching and mentoring at Roosevelt Middle School before his death Nov. 5.
MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee school community is mourning longtime special education teacher Harry Bruce as a homicide case moves forward against a 22-year-old man accused of killing him near a bus stop on Nov. 5.
Bruce, 56, spent more than a decade at Roosevelt Middle School, where school officials said his work extended beyond his special education classroom. He also coached football, tutored students and served as a mentor. His death led Milwaukee Public Schools to send crisis response staff to Roosevelt and prompted family members, friends and community members to gather for a vigil near the place where he died.
Roosevelt Principal Tiffany Fisher told families after Bruce’s death that he had been a pillar of the school community. She said he had dedicated more than 10 years to supporting students and families and had made a lasting impact on the people he worked with. Counselors and other support staff were made available at the school after students and employees learned of his death.
Bruce’s sons, Kylon and Lorenzo Boothes, also described a life centered on helping other people. They told TMJ4 that Bruce was a father, minister, coach and author in addition to his work as an educator. They said he had raised them as his own and remained deeply involved in the lives of other people in his community.
The mourning has unfolded alongside a criminal prosecution stemming from Bruce’s death. Daylan Mallard, 22, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide. Prosecutors accuse him of attacking Bruce near North 12th and West Walnut streets as Bruce was near a bus stop on the evening of Nov. 5.
According to the criminal complaint, witnesses told investigators they saw Bruce being repeatedly attacked. Security video described by investigators also captured portions of the confrontation, including an individual identified by authorities as Mallard striking Bruce, leaving the immediate area and then returning. Several bystanders eventually intervened, the complaint says, and one began CPR.
Police arrived to find Bruce unconscious and not breathing. Officers and firefighters tried to revive him, but he died. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that his death resulted from multiple blunt-force injuries and manual strangulation and classified the death as a homicide.
Authorities have not announced a confirmed motive. Accounts contained in the criminal complaint are allegations that will be tested as the prosecution moves through court. Mallard was arrested at the scene, according to authorities, and has not been convicted of the charge.
Family and friends gathered Sunday for a candlelight vigil in an open area near where Bruce died. Organizers focused the gathering on his life and the people he served rather than the circumstances of his death. His church community described a legacy built around faith, service, mentorship and compassion.
The loss has been felt particularly at Roosevelt, where Bruce had worked for years with children who needed special education services and also built relationships through athletics and tutoring. The district’s response reflected the effect of the death on both students and employees who had known him through school.
Mallard appeared in court Nov. 10, when a judge found probable cause to continue the case and set cash bond at $250,000. He is scheduled to return for a preliminary hearing Nov. 18. If convicted of first-degree intentional homicide, he faces life imprisonment. The case remains pending as Roosevelt students, colleagues and Bruce’s family continue to mourn his death.
Author note: Last updated November 11, 2026.