Inset: Terry Jefferson (Milwaukee County Sheriff”s Office). Background: Highland Court apartments in Milwaukee, Wis. (Google Maps).
A Wisconsin man who shot his friend multiple times while he was helping him move will be moving into prison for a long-term stay.
Terry Jefferson, 35, was sentenced to life in prison on Oct. 8 after being found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide. According to a criminal complaint reviewed by Law&Crime, Jefferson was moving into an apartment in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Feb. 26, 2025, with the help of his friend, Charles Williams. Just before 5 p.m., police officers responded to the apartment after receiving reports of gunfire.
Williams was on the ground, in a puddle of blood, and “in obvious pain.” Jefferson was standing a few feet away with a gun, which officers told him to drop.
Police said Jefferson complied with orders, and he was taken into custody. Williams was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
An apartment manager told detectives that after he heard a single gunshot, he looked down a hallway toward an apartment he knew Jefferson was moving into. He saw Williams on the ground, and Jefferson told the apartment manager that Williams “shot himself” and “tried to grab my gun.”
After the apartment manager went back into his apartment and called 911, he heard six or seven more gunshots go off “in rapid succession.”
During an interview with police, Jefferson said he was carrying his gun in the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt on the day he was moving in. He confirmed to police that Williams was helping him move. The two men used a shopping cart to unload items from Jefferson’s car and were using the elevator to bring the shopping cart upstairs.
While in the elevator, Jefferson said Williams was “very close to him” and started “grabbing for stuff.” Jefferson claimed that he thought Williams was reaching for his gun, so he fired a shot at Williams, hitting him in the face. When Jefferson saw Williams bleeding, Jefferson said he moved the cart so Williams would not bleed on his belongings.
As Williams struggled with the gunshot wound to his face, Jefferson tried to clear a jam in his gun while telling Williams to “chill out.” Claiming again that Williams was reaching for his gun, Jefferson fired several more shots, emptying the gun.
A jury did not believe Jefferson’s claim of self-defense.
Jefferson will be eligible for parole in 35 years. If he is released, he will remain on extended supervision.
