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Two teens charged in homicide on Southwest side
Deandre Bernard and Kendrick Briggs arrested following shooting death of 17-year-old Karamee Collins; victim charged earlier in 2009 for fight with Briggs
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Two teenagers have been arrested in connection with the homicide of a 17-year-old man Tuesday night on Madison’s southwest side.
Deandre Bernard, 16, and Kendrick Briggs, 16, of Madison, were arrested early Wednesday afternoon and have been charged with first degree intentional homicide in the shooting death of Karamee Collins Jr., 17.
At around 10:15 p.m., MPD was called to the southwest side of Madison in the Meadowood neighborhood following a shooting at the 2000 block of Leland Drive.
According to the incident report, Collins was shot on the 5800 block of Balsam Road, adjacent to Leland Drive, and ran about 50 yards before collapsing. When officers arrived, Collins Jr. was found mortally wounded and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The homicide was Madison’s first for 2009.
The Dane County Coroner’s Office released the identity of the victim Wednesday afternoon. Results of an autopsy are still pending.
Collins was previously charged earlier this year for a fight with Briggs. According to MPD Lieut. Dave McCaw, police have not determined the fight’s relation to the homicide.
“The pure motive itself is one of the latter things we look at. To figure out why people did what they did is kind of a court thing,” McCaw said. “The first [priority] is finding the shooter … and locating the weapon.”
MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain said it is believed there is no connection between this case and the nine other shootings that have occurred so far in 2009.
DeSpain went on to say the southwest side of Madison—home to many long-term residents—has not been an especially violent area.
“These people are very fluid and moving around,” DeSpain said. “We’ve been working hard in this neighborhood and others … to stop the gun violence from occurring.”
Another person was arrested in connection with the for juvenile possession of a firearm, but has turned over to juvenile authorities.
McCaw said the case is still progressing, but as usual that relies on the cooperation of the individuals involved in the investigation.
“The pace of it is really not set by us. It’s set by whether people talk to us, whether people lawyer up, whether they’re truthful with us,” McCaw said. “The first 24 hours are crucial. We pour a ton of resources into the first 24 hours because that is the best opportunity to get things done.”
He emphasized that although there is no reason to panic, citizens need to take measures to be safe at all times.
“People should always use caution. Madison is still a safe place … but we can’t walk around with our heads down hoping good things happen,” McCaw said.
Police said they have yet to receive an indication if Collin’s death was or was not gang-related.
— Alex Brousseau contributed to this report.
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