University of Wisconsin police revealed at a meeting Tuesday that last week’s shooting at University Houses apartments in Eagle Heights resulted from a drug deal dispute.
The shooting occurred at approximately 9:30 p.m. last Tuesday and no injuries were reported, according to UWPD Chief Susan Riseling.
There were two cars involved in a drug deal when a third car came, interested in buying drugs, according to Riseling.
Residents, who are primarily UW graduate students, reported four to five shots “rapidly fired” from the first two cars outside apartment number 10, according to Riseling. Police later recovered bullet shells, but did not find a weapon. Riseling said she does not believe the weapon ever left the car.
UWPD arrested three suspects from the third car on the way to purchase drugs, but the suspects in the other two cars have not been apprehended or identified, according to Riseling.
Riseling named the suspects as Jurell Hilliard, Cortez Braxton and Gavin Pyle. She said Hilliard and Braxton are being held for violating their probation, but police released Pyle because he was not on probation and there was no evidence to keep him in custody.
Community members at the meeting also had an opportunity to voice their concerns and ask the police questions about the incident.
Eagle Heights resident Heather McLean said she is satisfied with the security police placed around the area in the way of frequent patrols, but is confused about how officials found shell casings outside the apartments while maintaining the gun never left the car.
“I think that just because [UWPD] can’t reveal everything about the investigation, people are maybe still a little unsettled about some of the details,” McLean said. “Particularly [about] the gun.”
However, Riseling still maintains that the suspects fired the gun from inside the car and the shells merely flew out the window.
University Apartments Community Officer Michael Eckhardt told residents to look out for suspicious activity, but warned against calling the police just because of someone they did not recognize.
“A person is never suspicious, in a jacket, a hoodie, a hat-none of that is suspicious,” Eckhardt said. “Behavior is suspicious.”
