Prosecutors say a school dispute preceded the shooting of 16-year-old Cameron Bowen after the teenagers left a county bus.
MILWAUKEE — A 15-year-old has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old classmate after the two rode the same Milwaukee County bus, according to a criminal complaint. An arrest warrant has been issued for the teenager.
Prosecutors charged Robbiel L. Stokes in the death of Cameron Bowen, who was shot Sept. 19 near Layton Boulevard and Greenfield Avenue on Milwaukee’s south side. Authorities allege the shooting followed a confrontation between the teenagers at Bay View High School several days earlier. Stokes had not been taken into custody when the charge was announced Friday.
The complaint describes a sequence investigators reconstructed through Milwaukee County Transit System surveillance footage, witness accounts and interviews. Bowen boarded a bus before Stokes, who got on later. The teenagers eventually sat near each other toward the rear of the bus and appeared to have a heated conversation before both left through the rear doors, according to the complaint.
Prosecutors allege Stokes pulled a handgun from a sweatshirt pocket after the teenagers got off the bus and opened fire on Bowen. Witnesses told investigators the shooter followed Bowen as he ran in front of the bus and continued firing. Bowen suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Authorities later determined that he died from those injuries.
The complaint links the encounter to an earlier dispute at Bay View High School. School officials told investigators that Bowen and Stokes had been involved in a fight days before the shooting. The complaint says the confrontation occurred Sept. 16, three days before Bowen was killed. The filing does not establish that the earlier dispute was the only factor behind the shooting.
Investigators also interviewed a friend who said he had been on a video call with Bowen shortly before the shooting. The friend reported hearing an argument in the background before gunfire, according to the complaint. Investigators used that account along with bus surveillance footage and other witness statements as they worked to identify a suspect.
Stokes’ mother also provided information to investigators, according to the complaint. Prosecutors said Stokes called her after the shooting and asked for a ride. She told authorities that when she picked him up, he was wet from the rain and appeared nervous. Investigators later showed her surveillance images from the bus, and she identified her son, according to reports describing the complaint.
Police searched the vehicle used to pick up Stokes and recovered a .40-caliber cartridge from the rear floor area, according to the complaint. Prosecutors said the cartridge was consistent in brand and caliber with casings recovered during the investigation of Bowen’s shooting. The criminal charge remains an allegation, and the evidence described in the complaint has not been tested at trial.
Bowen attended Bay View High School. His family and friends gathered at a vigil after his death, leaving balloons, candles, flowers and photographs near the area where he was shot. Relatives described him as a teenager who loved anime and had plans to continue his education after high school.
Milwaukee Public Schools said after the shooting that it was providing resources to students and staff affected by the loss. The district also said it works with the Milwaukee Police Department as part of its response to safety concerns involving students and schools.
An arrest warrant remains outstanding for Stokes. No trial has been held, and the first-degree intentional homicide charge is an accusation that prosecutors would have to prove in court. Authorities had not announced his arrest as of the latest reports reviewed Saturday.
Author note: Last updated Sept. 26, 2026.