Fond du Lac shooting suspect held on $1 million cash bond
Antonio Johnston, 17, is still at-large
FOND DU LAC, Wis. (WBAY) - One of the Fond du Lac shooting suspects is still at-large, but the youngest suspect turned himself in overnight Wednesday and appeared in court Wednesday morning on homicide charges.
Fond du Lac police say 14-year-old Parise Larry Jr. surrendered himself to officers at about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday without incident. He made an initial appearance Wednesday, where the court set his bond at $1 million cash.
The criminal complaint says Larry and the other suspect, Antonio Johnston, had a conflict with one of the shooting victims. One of the victims, identified only as “Victim 2″ in the complaint, told police at the hospital he believed he was the target of the shooting but couldn’t tell police much more due to his condition at the time.
A witness said Larry and Johnston were hanging around one of the apartments at Maplewood Commons, acting “suspicious” and seeming like they were looking for someone. The witness said Larry and Johnston had a beef with one of the shooting victims and that their group of boys had “jumped” some of the victim’s friends in the past.
The witness said she was taking out garbage from a family barbecue with Tatyanna Zech, 20, and others because they didn’t want one person going out alone with Larry and Johnston hanging around. That’s when she saw boys “pop out” from a hallway. Someone said, “We right here. Come snatch our chain,” and “the boys then opened fire right from there.” She told police, “It was two guns being shot.”
As the witness and the others ran, she realized Tatyanna wasn’t with them. The complaint identifies Tatyanna as “Victim 1″ and says she died from a single shot to the head. A GoFundMe is set up to help her family pay for funeral expenses.
The complaint says two surviving victims, “Victim 2″ and “Victim 3,” were both shot once in the upper body and were treated in intensive care. A fourth person was grazed by a bullet that went into his apartment, suffering a burn mark on his leg, but it didn’t break his skin.
Police found multiple bullets fired into two separate apartments. They also found a single shell casing indicating “Victim 2″ fired a single shot from his weapon.
Witnesses said after the shootings three people fled in the direction of Theisen Middle School. Police found two pistols in a dumpster there.
Larry Jr. and Johnston are both charged with five crimes -- and a total of eight counts -- with multiple enhancers that could lead to additional prison time if they’re convicted.
- First-degree intentional homicide as party to a crime - Use of a dangerous weapon - Violent crime in a school zone
- Attempted 1st-degree intentional homicide as party to a crime - Use of a dangerous weapon - Violent crime in a school zone
- First-degree reckless injury as party to a crime - Use of a dangerous weapon - Violent crime in a school zone
- Injury by negligent use of a weapon or explosive as party to a crime - Use of a dangerous weapon - Violent crime in a school zone
- 3 counts of 1st-degree recklessly endangering safety as party to a crime - Use of a dangerous weapon - Violent crime in a school zone
The homicide and attempted homicide charges both carry up to life in prison if found guilty.
Federal authorities are helping in the search for Antonio K. Johnston, 17. An arrest warrant was issued by the Fond du Lac County Court on Tuesday. He’s facing the same eight counts as Larry.
Police Chief Aaron Goldstein issued a statement, “FDLPD is committed to working together with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to hold offenders who chose to put our community at risk responsible for their criminal actions here.”
If you believe you’ve seen Johnston, don’t approach him but call 911 immediately.
If you have information that might help the investigation, contact Detective Nick Hahn at (920) 322-3721 or email nhahn@fdl.wi.gov, or you call the Crime Alert line at (920) 322-3740. Callers can request to remain anonymous.
Police say they have had “significant developments” in the homicide investigation, aided by tips, interviews, and video recordings since the shooting at Maplewood Commons Sunday night.
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