Police: Wielding Firearm, Woman Threatens to Kill Ex-Fiancée, Commit Suicide
A Shorewood woman is accused of pointing a gun at her ex, then saying she will kill him before committing suicide.
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A 28-year-old Shorewood woman is accused of pointing a loaded gun at her ex-fiancée and threatening to kill him.
The woman was charged in Milwaukee County Circuit Court Thursday with one count of endangering safety with use of a dangerous weapon, one count of battery domestic abuse and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. If convicted, she faces up to 19 months in prison and $20,500 in fines.
Patch is not naming her to protect the identity of the victim.
According to the criminal complaint:
On Monday, the victim came home from work to his apartment on North Bartlett Avenue and found the woman sitting on the couch with two of his handguns sitting on the couch next to her. The woman is his ex-fiancée, but still lives with him because she has nowhere else to go, according to the complaint. She had become upset because he was now dating someone else.
The man told the woman to put the guns away and they continued to argue for a half an hour when the conversation moved into the bedroom. Once inside the bedroom, the woman was two feet away from the victim when she pointed a loaded gun with the hammer pulled back at him and said: “I’m going to shoot your (expletive) face off,” then pointed the gun at herself.
She continued to point the gun at him, then herself, several more times, saying she was going to commit suicide and take him with her, according to the complaint.
Eventually the man grabbed her by the wrist, was able to get the gun away from her and unloaded it. During the struggle, she took a knife from the man’s pocket, slit her wrist and demanded the gun back.
They struggled again and she got the empty gun and began to hit the man in the head with it repeatedly. She then hit him with her fists, a belt and drum stool. Eventually the man was able to call his mother, who contacted the Shorewood Police Department for help.
The woman told officers she was upset with the victim because they have been together for 12 years and haven't married. She had two rounds of ammunition in her pocket and officers found heroin paraphernalia inside a pink Luca Vergani bag.
The woman will make her initial appearance in court Monday.
CowDung
1:54 pm on Monday, November 19, 2012
It strikes me as odd that the author chose to include such specific detail about the bag (pink Luca Vergani)...
Jenny Heyden
2:14 pm on Monday, November 19, 2012
That was my first google...Luca Vergani - what a weird commercial that would make.
N. Peske
3:26 pm on Monday, November 19, 2012
Handguns purchased for homeowner protection do not provide safety when someone in the home has a substance abuse problem, an anger management problem, or both. This man is very lucky to be alive.
CowDung
3:29 pm on Monday, November 19, 2012
You have a firm grasp of the obvious...
Greg
4:02 pm on Monday, November 19, 2012
Drum stools must not be good homeowner protection. Who would have thought?
CowDung
4:08 pm on Monday, November 19, 2012
I feel sorry for their neighbors--it seems a bit inconsiderate to play the drums inside an apartment...
Vicki Bennett
7:47 am on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Yup, the handguns could have killed the owner and his ex. Sure seems to me that guns AREN'T a necessary means of protection. They're a danger to the possessor of the gun and society at large.
CowDung
8:17 am on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
If guns were a necessary means of protection, then everybody would have one. Guns are similarly dangerous as automobiles...
Vicki Bennett
9:03 am on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Dung, as usual your logic is impeccable. This, of course, is the reason that everyone who operates an automobile must be licensed, must pass an exam and goes to jail if caught using the device under the influence. In addition, when one is driving an automobile, others in the vicinity know where the device is located and that they are in danger. Thus they are much more able to avoid the idiots who might use them for dubious purposes. It's difficult to conceal a car.
CowDung
9:36 am on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Are you claiming that handgun owners don't have to be licensed, don't have to take a test (background check), and don't go to jail if caught using their weapon to do bad things?
Do you make a habit of avoiding sidewalks next to busy streets, Vicki? Do you run away whenever you come across an armed police officer? Do you avoid getting too close to gun retailers?
While it is easier to conceal a gun rather than a car, concealed weapons aren't really posing a danger to anyone.
CowDung
9:44 am on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
...and considering how many people are hurt or killed in car crashes through no fault of their own, it does seem that it is rather difficult to avoid the idiots that misuse their automobile.
Vicki Bennett
10:16 am on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Well, I could continue your ridiculous arguments, but I can only say that concealed weapons or any weapons do not deter crime and only leave a greater opportunity for people to act foolishly. While I know you spend all day on Patch, I have a life and things to do. Enough said.
CowDung
10:31 am on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Statistics would show otherwise Vicki. Crime is a 'risk/reward' type of activity. Bad guys tend to prey on those that are considered to be 'easy targets', and tend to avoid situations where they might get shot.
If Shorewood were to ban handguns within the village, we would be quickly find ourselves to be the robbers' destination of choice. It's a lot less risky to rob homes where the owner is certain to be unarmed.
Greg
11:22 am on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
In the end the gun did no more damage than if it were a can of green beans, the knife did much more damage. Ban knives! Of course the knife on its own poses no real danger to the possessor or society at large, so I'd guess the problem lies with the woman. Go figure.
Sunrocket
4:33 pm on Monday, November 19, 2012
Bad taste in handbags. - looks like a bowling ball case. Not like it was a real Louis Vuittone or Coach.
Pete
11:50 am on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Seriously, Vicki and Dung need to get a room.
North Shore Newbie
1:14 pm on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
I came here expecting a lively discussion about what should be done with someone who points a gun at a domestic partner (given the Azana shooting a few weeks back) and found something completely different. I thought the dialogue would be centered around whether men and women are treated differently in domestic violence situations and whether her obvious mental health issues should be taken into account when meting out punishment but there was no such discussion. Huh, go figure.
CowDung
1:24 pm on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Are either of those points controversial enough to warrant a discussion? Personally, I don't think that men and women should be treated differently in domestic violence situations and mental health issues should indeed be taken into account should she be prosecuted...
North Shore Newbie
3:40 pm on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
I think they are worthy of a discussion. The Brown Deer Police were criticized for not arresting the Azana shooter when they got a call that he barricaded himself in the house and then he pointed a gun at them. Had this woman shot her boyfriend, I think she would have gotten as much sympathy as criticism (ala Lorena Bobbitt). I think the fact that she appears to have mental health issues (and is possibly under the influence of heroin) is garnering her more sympathy than it would a man, and for the record, I'm OK with that. I'm fine with men and women being treated differently in domestic violence situations. I recognize that biologically men are different from women, so her tendency to be violent should be viewed in that light. But most people DON'T see it that way; they pretend those differences don't exist. If she had shot him, she should face the same sentence. But the fact that she didn't shoot him shows me there are other things going on with her that should be taken into consideration. I honestly don't think I would feel the same if it was a man. I'd be quicker to say "lock him up".
CowDung
3:54 pm on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Isn't it a bit sexist to treat them differently? The only time to treat the person differently is during hostage negotiations and things like that. Once the situation is over, the sex of the perpetrator should be irrelevant and justice should be applied as appropriate.
North Shore Newbie
11:49 am on Thursday, November 22, 2012
I think you should treat each case differently based on the situation and the person's motivation. There are many factors that influence why people do what they do and in an ideal world all factors should be taken into consideration. There obviously isn't enough time to look at each case separately so we have things like mandatory sentences for specific crimes. But I don't think it's sexist to treat her differently because she's a woman IF we accept that there are different motivations for why women do things than there are for men.
CowDung
4:14 pm on Thursday, November 22, 2012
I believe that is the way that crimes are currently treated. Situation and motivation is what distinguishes first degree homicide from manslaughter for example. This determination should be made without regard to the sex of the accused criminal.
Cricket
1:44 pm on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Women can become incredibly unhinged - especially when they have just been dumped by a guy. I would say her mental health was probably pretty unstable prior to being dumped. Hopefully this was an incident that will get her the mental health treatment she needs. Not all incidence like this are because someone is violent. Mental health needs to become a priority in this country. It is misunderstood and leads to many of our society's problems. Drug abuse and alcoholism are often case of self medication because people do not want to discuss their psychological problems with Dr's or friends and family, which is a shame. There are so many viable treatments out their from therapy to medication. I think our world would be a whole lot happier if people would take as good care of their heads as they do the rest of their body.
Richard Head
7:55 am on Sunday, November 25, 2012
She's 28 - and about to hit the wall. SMV and DMV is quickly dropping. Future crazy Cat Lady material.
JayZee
8:55 am on Saturday, November 24, 2012
I love the snippet about the Luca Vergani bag. I did a little searching online and found them at Walmart for $22.00!! Sunrocket is right, it does look like a bowling ball bag, thanks for the comic relief Joe.