Two guests were wounded after a kitchen dispute escalated into gunfire at a Milwaukee reception hall, authorities said.

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — A bride followed an armed man out of her wedding reception and wrestled away his vehicle’s key fob after two guests were shot during a fight that began in the banquet hall’s kitchen, according to a criminal complaint and local news reports.

The unusual intervention prevented the man from leaving in a black Chevrolet Escalade, witnesses told investigators. Police later identified 41-year-old Thomas Redrick Williams as the suspected shooter and recovered a 9 mm handgun from the vehicle, according to reports based on the complaint. Williams was charged with two counts of first-degree reckless injury with use of a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and bail jumping. An arrest warrant was issued June 25 after authorities said he fled from the June 20 shooting. Milwaukee police were called at about 9:45 p.m. to the Aria banquet hall at 5444 W. Fond du Lac Ave. Officers found a 35-year-old man who had been shot near the back of his neck and a 39-year-old woman with gunshot wounds to her arm and leg, FOX6 Milwaukee reported. Both were taken to a hospital. Authorities did not release updated information about their conditions in the reports reviewed for this article.

The bride’s intervention came after she watched part of the confrontation through a service window between the reception area and the kitchen, according to the complaint. She told investigators that she heard a gunshot and then saw a man she knew by the nickname “Boog” leave the kitchen with a gun in his hand. She followed him outside because she wanted to stop him from getting away, the complaint said. Investigators later identified the man she knew as Williams.

Outside the hall, Williams allegedly moved toward the Escalade and tried to use it to leave. The bride confronted him near the vehicle, and a physical struggle followed. She managed to take the key fob, making it impossible for him to drive away, according to her account. Other guests gathered around the vehicle as Williams abandoned it and ran from the area on foot. When officers arrived, the bride gave the key fob to police and described what she had seen.

Security video reportedly supported important parts of that account. Footage showed a man dressed in dark clothing leaving the hall with an object that appeared to be a firearm, followed by the bride. The video also showed the man near the Escalade before he fled on foot after several people converged on the area, according to reports describing the complaint. The available accounts do not say that the cameras recorded a clear view of the shooting itself.

The violence had begun with a dispute that appeared minor at first. The wounded woman, who was identified in reports as the bride’s cousin, told police from her hospital room that she saw a groomsman eating meatballs with his hands in the kitchen. She asked him to use a plate, according to the complaint. The groomsman allegedly responded by punching her in the face. Her brother-in-law then stepped into the confrontation and began fighting with the groomsman.

During that struggle, the woman said she heard a gunshot and realized she had been hit. Her brother-in-law also heard gunfire and felt pain near the back of his neck, according to the complaint. He told police he did not believe the groomsman was the person who fired. Witnesses instead described the shooter as an associate or friend of the groomsman. The reports do not identify the groomsman or indicate whether he was arrested or charged in connection with the initial assault.

At least two additional witnesses provided accounts of the gunfire, according to reports. One said a man pulled a handgun and fired twice in the direction of the people involved in the fight. The bride and two other witnesses later selected Williams from police photo arrays. Their statements linked him to the man seen leaving the kitchen with the weapon and to the person who allegedly fired during the disturbance.

The Escalade remained outside the banquet hall after Williams ran away. Records showed that the vehicle was registered to his wife, according to the complaint. She reportedly told police that she kept a Taurus 9 mm handgun in the glove compartment. Officers searching the SUV found a Taurus pistol on the front passenger-side floor, along with a mobile phone and an envelope bearing Williams’ name, the complaint said. The public reports did not disclose whether ballistics testing had connected the gun to bullets or cartridge cases from the scene. The bride’s actions did more than interrupt the alleged escape. By securing the key fob, she left the vehicle and the items inside it available to investigators. The SUV also gave police a documented connection to Williams through its registration, the addressed envelope and witness accounts. Those facts are allegations contained in the criminal case and would still have to be established through admissible evidence if the charges proceed to trial.

The two first-degree reckless injury counts accuse Williams of causing great bodily harm through conduct showing utter disregard for human life. Under Wisconsin law, first-degree reckless injury is a Class D felony. Prosecutors also applied a dangerous-weapon modifier to each injury count, according to court information cited by local media. The filing of a criminal complaint establishes an accusation and a basis for court proceedings; it is not a finding that Williams committed the offenses.

The firearm-possession charge rests on the allegation that Williams had previously been convicted of a felony and therefore could not legally possess a gun. The bail-jumping charge indicates prosecutors believe he violated a condition imposed in another criminal matter. Available reports did not identify the earlier felony, describe the pending case connected to the bail allegation or state which release condition he allegedly violated. Those details could become clearer after an arrest and initial court appearance. Williams had not been taken into custody when the first reports about the complaint were published. Milwaukee police initially said they were seeking information about the person responsible for the shooting. By June 25, prosecutors had charged Williams and a warrant had been issued. The reports reviewed for this article did not contain a later official announcement confirming an arrest, and no attorney was identified as representing him.

The episode left investigators with several forms of evidence, including accounts from the two wounded guests, statements from the bride and other witnesses, surveillance video and property recovered from the Escalade. It also left unanswered questions. Authorities had not publicly explained what happened between the first punch and the first shot, whether the recovered gun had been tested, how many shots were fired or whether investigators were seeking anyone else involved in the fight.

The bride, who had been celebrating inside the hall only moments earlier, became a central witness and an active participant in the immediate aftermath. Her account placed the alleged gunman inside the kitchen, followed him outside and described how the attempted departure was stopped. Her actions did not result in the man’s capture, but police were able to secure the SUV rather than searching for both a suspect and a missing vehicle.

Until Williams is arrested or appears in court, there can be no plea, bond hearing or scheduling of later proceedings in the newly filed case. The case remained open with Williams wanted on the warrant. Police had not released the victims’ names or announced a suspected motive beyond the sequence of events described by witnesses. Williams is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Author note: Last updated July 26, 2026.