Justin Smith, 41, was killed inside the Milwaukee home he shared with family on February 26, 2025. Tension between Justin and his older brother, Brandon Smith, escalated during the early morning at their residence in the 4900 block of North 47th Street. Their mother was home and told investigators Brandon believed Justin had been involved with Brandon’s former wife, a belief she said was untrue.

According to the criminal complaint, the argument became physical after officers briefly responded to a call and left. Brandon allegedly struck Justin twice in the head with a hammer during a struggle; their mother intervened and separated them, and Justin retreated to his bedroom. The complaint says Brandon then obtained a handgun, shot Justin in the chest, and initially prevented their mother from immediately calling 911. Officers arrived around 6:43 a.m. and found Justin on the floor with extensive blunt-force head injuries and a fatal gunshot wound to the chest.

Investigators recovered a bloody hammer and two firearms; a woman in the house showed detectives where she had hidden a gun she identified as the one used. Brandon was taken into custody and charged with first-degree intentional homicide. Does anyone have additional information about the household situation or the events that morning?