Court proceedings focused on firearm access inside the home where 4-year-old Jurnee Scales Walker was fatally shot.
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — A 16-year-old remained in juvenile detention Monday after his 4-year-old sister was fatally shot by their 6-year-old brother, with court proceedings bringing new attention to allegations about firearms accessible to children inside the Milwaukee home.
The teenager was taken into custody after the Oct. 24 shooting that killed Jurnee Scales Walker at a residence in the 2700 block of North 53rd Street. Milwaukee police said a 6-year-old child obtained a firearm and fired it shortly before 9 a.m., striking Jurnee. Emergency responders pronounced her dead at the scene. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office identified her on Oct. 26.
Prosecutors filed allegations against the 16-year-old that include neglecting a child where the consequence is death and possession of a dangerous weapon. The case is being handled in juvenile court, where the teenager has been referred to by his initials rather than publicly identified by name. The allegations have not been adjudicated.
During an Oct. 26 hearing, a Milwaukee County court commissioner ordered the teenager to remain in detention until at least his next scheduled court appearance on Oct. 30. His mother, defense attorney and a county social worker supported allowing him to return home while the case proceeds, according to accounts of the hearing.
The commissioner cited the circumstances described in the case when deciding to keep the teen in custody. Court reporting indicated that authorities alleged an unsecured firearm had previously been handled by children in the home. An assistant district attorney also said investigators recovered a second firearm in the residence that had been hidden but was not properly locked.
Those allegations have shifted part of the investigation toward how the weapons were stored and what the teenager knew about younger children having access to them. Authorities have not released a complete public account of how the 6-year-old obtained the gun involved in the fatal shooting, and the court case has not established final responsibility for Jurnee’s death.
Milwaukee police initially said only that the 6-year-old gained access to a firearm and shot the 4-year-old. Police arrested the 16-year-old for possessing a firearm and said the matter would be referred to prosecutors. Investigators have since said they are not looking for additional suspects.
Jurnee’s family has been left grieving while the legal proceedings involving her teenage brother continue. Her mother told the court that the family regarded what happened as an accident and asked that her son be allowed home to mourn with relatives. The commissioner acknowledged the family’s loss but determined that detention should continue under the circumstances presented at the hearing.
A relative who spoke publicly after the shooting said Jurnee and other children had been playing when the gun became accessible. The relative also said the family believed the firearm had been secured. Police and prosecutors have not publicly verified all parts of that account, and investigators have not issued a final explanation of how the weapon reached the children.
Milwaukee police have used the case to repeat their call for firearms to be stored securely and kept beyond the reach of children. The department urged gun owners to use locking devices after the shooting. The warning came as authorities continued reviewing the circumstances inside the home rather than treating the initial description of the shooting as the end of the investigation.
The 16-year-old is due back in court Oct. 30, when his detention status may again be considered as the juvenile case proceeds. The allegations against him remain unresolved, and officials have not released additional findings explaining precisely how the firearm involved in Jurnee’s death became accessible to her 6-year-old brother.
Author note: Last updated October 27, 2026.