Fatal Shooting After Traffic Incident
A Milwaukee resident involved in a fatal 2015 vehicle collision has passed away weeks after being shot during an altercation following another traffic incident on the city's north side.
According to official reports from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office, Bobby Smith was involved in a collision on November 3 at the intersection of North 71st Street and West Capitol Drive.
Court documents indicate Smith was shot shortly after the crash, resulting in quadriplegia. The 35-year-old Milwaukee man succumbed to his injuries at 3:17 p.m. on December 22, with the medical examiner listing homicide as the primary cause of death.
Legal Proceedings
Court records show Travon Hicks, 28, of Milwaukee, was charged on November 8 with second-degree reckless injury involving a dangerous weapon in connection with the case. As of December 24, no additional charges have been filed against Hicks following Smith's death.
According to a criminal complaint, officers approached Smith in a silver Honda on November 3 as part of a firearms investigation. Police say Smith drove away, initiating a pursuit.
Officers temporarily lost sight of the vehicle but soon located it near 71st and Capitol, where the Honda had collided with a black Kia sedan. Smith was found lying in front of the Kia with a gunshot wound to his left shoulder.
Smith told officers he fled because he "shouldn't be driving." Court records indicate Smith was on extended supervision for homicide by use of a vehicle (controlled substances) and knowingly operating while suspended, causing death, from 2015.
A jury convicted Smith in September 2016, resulting in a sentence of six years imprisonment and six years of extended supervision.
Shooter's Account
According to the November 2025 complaint, Hicks told officers at the scene he thought Smith "was gonna rob me."
Hicks explained to police that he and his passenger were driving to a car wash when a gray vehicle struck him. The driver of that vehicle exited and ran south across Capitol Drive. Hicks stated in the document that he didn't know what that person was going to do "so I fired my weapon."
"I was scared, I got PTSD, you never know how Milwaukee gone (sic) get," he told police, according to the complaint.
Investigators recovered a 10mm Glock, an AR-15 pistol, and two 10mm spent casings from Hicks' vehicle. Police also found a backpack containing what was later determined to be a half pound of a "green leaflike substance" that tested positive for THC, along with a small amount of cocaine, small plastic bags, and a digital scale. Hicks claimed the backpack belonged to his cousin.
Hicks posted a $7,500 bail for his release on November 17 and is expected to return to court on January 16 for a status conference.
A complete autopsy for Smith was scheduled to be performed on December 23.
