Suspect in Milwaukee double shooting kills himself, authorities say

The suspect who police say shot to death his own nephew and a Milwaukee man who had accidentally run over another nephew killed himself as authorities closed in on him Thursday, federal law enforcement officials confirmed.

Ricky Chiles III, 27, had fled Milwaukee and killed himself with a single shot from a handgun as police surrounded him at a motel in the Chicago area, the U.S. Marshals Service said in a statement.

Chiles was wanted in connection with the shooting deaths of his nephew, 15-year-old Rasheed T. Chiles, and 40-year-old Archie Brown in Milwaukee on Sunday shortly after a traffic accident that left a 2-year-old nephew of Chiles dead.

Milwaukee police had charged Chiles with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and of being a felon in possession of a firearm, the marshals service said. He was also wanted on a warrant for a probation violation, the agency said.

According to police, Rasheed and his brother, 2-year-old Damani T. Terry, were attending a party Sunday when the toddler ran into the street and was struck and killed by a car driven by Brown about 5:10 p.m.

Brown got out of the car and was “distraught” about hitting the child, said police, who called the toddler’s death an accident. Moments later, Brown and Rasheed were shot. Brown died at the scene, and Rasheed died later in surgery at a hospital, police said.

It is not clear whether Rasheed was targeted or struck by stray gunfire.

Chiles was out on probation for a 2011 robbery, according to records with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. According to Milwaukee County court records, he pleaded guilty to robbery with threat of force, a felony, and was sentenced to two years in prison and two more years of “extended supervision.” He was released from prison in July 2013 and was still on community supervision at the time of the shooting, said Department of Corrections spokeswoman Joy Staab. He was due to be discharged from supervision this August.

Brown was remembered Wednesday night at a candlelight vigil held by family and friends, who urged an end to gun violence in the community.

Brown’s sister said she wished she could have told Chiles that she had forgiven him for her brother’s death.

“I wish that yesterday, when we were at the vigil, that I would have told him that we forgive him,” said Qianna Brown, 34. “Maybe he wouldn’t have taken his own life. Maybe he would have turned himself in and repented.”

Qianna Brown said her thoughts were with Chiles’ family, which now has to bury three members. “Nobody won,” she told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday. “Everybody’s families are hurt, off of anger, off of rage.”

Archie Brown’s funeral is scheduled for Monday, his sister said.

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