Vanessa DeHerrera, 26, and Scott Bucholz, 29, were remembered by relatives as police continued searching for whoever opened fire.
MILWAUKEE — Family members have identified two people killed in a weekend shooting on Milwaukee’s south side as 26-year-old Vanessa Rheanne DeHerrera and 29-year-old Scott Bucholz, as police continue investigating what led to the gunfire.
Milwaukee police said the shooting happened at about 9:40 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, in the 2100 block of West Pierce Street, near South 21st Street. Both victims suffered fatal gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene. Police have not announced an arrest or publicly identified a suspect, and investigators have not released an official motive.
Relatives said DeHerrera and Bucholz were friends. DeHerrera’s family described her as a devoted mother of two who was close to relatives and known for a playful personality. Her mother, Monica Pinter, said her daughter loved her sons, while other family members remembered her for dancing, joking and making those around her happy.
DeHerrera’s cousin and best friend told local reporters that she had been exchanging text messages with DeHerrera shortly before the shooting. The family’s accounts have added a personal picture of the final minutes before the gunfire, but police have not released a detailed timeline of what happened inside or around the property before officers arrived.
Bucholz’s family remembered him as loyal, caring and someone who made an effort to support friends and relatives. His sister said he enjoyed music, cooking and spending time with people close to him. Loved ones said he would have turned 30 in October.
Family members have said they believe the shooting grew out of a domestic dispute involving DeHerrera and that Bucholz was trying to help. Those accounts have not been confirmed by Milwaukee police. Investigators have said only that the circumstances leading to the shooting remain under investigation, leaving the sequence of events and any possible motive unresolved.
A nearby resident said she was home with her children when she heard loud noises from a neighboring apartment and then heard people moving through the hallway. The resident described being frightened by the violence so close to her family and said she was thinking about the relatives who lost loved ones.
The double killing occurred during a night in which Milwaukee police also investigated other shootings elsewhere in the city. Authorities said a separate shooting later Saturday left a 39-year-old person dead on North 39th Street. Early Sunday, a 34-year-old and a 15-year-old were wounded in another shooting on West Fond du Lac Avenue. Police have not said the incidents are connected.
Milwaukee police continued seeking information Monday in the deaths of DeHerrera and Bucholz. No suspect had been publicly identified by police, and authorities had not announced any arrests or released an official account of what prompted the shooting.
Author note: Last updated August 10, 2026.