Milwaukee mother shot; Man is charged with negligent homicide

MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man is accused in an October shooting that left a mother dead.

Prosecutors have charged 34-year-old Olijejuan Jelks with first-degree manslaughter and two weapons offenses. Court records show he is being held in the Milwaukee County Jail on $200,000 bail.

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The shooting occurred Oct. 11 near 25th Street and Kilbourn. The police were called to the scene at around 9:45 p.m. that evening. The victim, now identified as 29-year-old Anita Smith, died at the scene.

According to prosecutors, a witness said Smith and her 10-month-old baby were asleep when he heard several gunshots coming from outside the home. The witness felt broken glass and grabbed the baby to protect him when he saw Smith had been shot. He then yelled for someone to call 911.

A criminal complaint states that investigators found multiple bullet impacts outside the home and that at least two bullets came through windows into the room where Smith was shot. They later found surveillance video that showed the shooting; 10 shots were heard.

According to court documents, multiple cameras throughout the neighborhood filmed the gunman leaving a residence 25 minutes before the shooting, moving toward the crime scene, firing shots, leaving the scene and returning to the same residence after the shooting. The shooter's face was “clearly” visible on a video from this residence.

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Days after the shooting, police received a tip that “Mook” was responsible for the murder, according to prosecutors. A search of Milwaukee police records revealed that Jelks had listed “Mook” as a known alias. Based on a pre-booking photo, investigators identified Jelks as the shooter seen during surveillance.

Additional records showed Jelks was under active supervision by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections for a prior drug conviction. The complaint says Jelks' probation officer then identified him as the man in the video, as did several people who knew him.

Police searched for Jelks on Nov. 1 near 15th and Fond du Lac. As an officer approached Jelks, the complaint says he saw Jelks “maneuvering his hands near his waistband” and then heard a “heavy metal object hit concrete pavement.” Jelks was arrested and a handgun was found on the sidewalk, where the officer heard the sound of metal hitting concrete.