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Two Racine men charged after former basketball standout is fatally shot

Prosecutors say a near-collision escalated into a street fight and the fatal shooting of Koreem Ozier on Sept. 20. Collin Wallace is charged with homicide, while Justin Millard is accused of helping Wallace flee and dispose of a gun.

Two Racine men charged after former basketball standout is fatally shot
RACINE, Wis. — A dispute following a near-collision preceded the fatal shooting of Koreem Ozier, a former Racine basketball standout, according to prosecutors. Two Racine men have been charged in connection with his death. Collin T. Wallace faces charges of first-degree intentional homicide and bail jumping. Prosecutors accuse him of shooting Ozier. Justin J. Millard is charged with felony harboring or aiding a felon; authorities allege he drove Wallace away and helped hide the gun. Racine police were called to the area of 12th Street and Memorial Drive at about 8:56 p.m. Sept. 20. Officers found Ozier unresponsive on a sidewalk with gunshot wounds to his chest and head. Investigators recovered two spent 9mm shell casings, according to the criminal complaint. Witness accounts and surveillance video cited by prosecutors indicate the confrontation began after Millard’s vehicle and Ozier’s Dodge Charger nearly collided. The complaint says Ozier got out of his car, and a fight broke out between him and Millard. Wallace, who was riding in the front passenger seat, then allegedly approached and fired twice at Ozier. Investigators used license-plate-reader data and city surveillance footage to trace Millard’s vehicle first to Waukegan, Illinois, and later back to the Racine area, prosecutors said. According to Millard’s complaint, he told investigators that Ozier had honked at him as he pulled out of a parking spot. Millard said Wallace got out and tried to calm the situation, and that another person with Ozier asked Wallace whether he had a gun and patted him down. Millard said he heard gunfire and saw someone fall. The complaint says Millard later told investigators Wallace said, “You was getting jumped, bro.” Millard also said they discarded the gun in a lake after Wallace asked him to get rid of it, prosecutors allege. Wallace turned himself in. His attorney, Patrick Cafferty, argued at an initial court appearance that the shooting was self-defense, saying the government’s probable-cause account acknowledged Wallace may have been protecting himself and Millard. The charges are allegations; Wallace and Millard are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

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