Arrest Made in Somers Shooting as Friends, Family Mourn the Victims

Apr. 18, 2021 10:30p

(WGTD)---A 24-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the Somers House Tavern shootings early Sunday that left three men dead and three others hospitalized.

The man was booked into the Kenosha County Jail Sunday evening on a single count of 1st Degree Intentional Homicide. Other charges could follow, according to a Kenosha County Sheriff's Dept. news release.

The suspect's address is listed as "homeless." A 2018 court case indicated that the man at that time lived at a Racine address.   

At last report, investigators were trying to determine whether more than one gunman was responsible for gunfire that rang out in the bar itself, and then spilled over to a neighborhood  east of the Sheridan Rd. bar.  

Sheridan Rd. was closed for most of the day.

As soon as traffic was allowed to flow through the area Sunday evening, a small crowd gathered across the street and a candle light memorial sprung up. 

A woman who identified herself as Ariel said one of the fatalities was her nephew. "He was a very, very helpful, kind and loving young man. He would always come if you needed him. He was loved by many," she said.

She said her nephew, a Reuther High School grad, loved to hang out at the bar with friends and had just started a new job which he was excited about. 

The shooting occurred after the gunman had been kicked out of the bar following a confrontation of some kind, according to what Kenosha County Sheriff Dave Beth said earlier in the day. 

The bar is a popular place for some students of Carthage College, which is located south of the tavern. A Carthage spokesperson told the Kenosha News that she believed that no students were among the victims, although other sources indicated that some students were in the bar at the time of the shooting. 

Investigators are looking for help from the public. The detective bureau's number is 605-5100. Information can be funneled anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 656-7333.

-0-