Michael Meagher, an 8-year-old Black/African American second-grader at Brook Park Elementary School, was fatally shot inside a Lincoln Avenue residence in the Town of Geneva, Wisconsin, during the early morning hours of January 20, 2025. Town of Geneva officers arrived about 2:25 a.m. after a report that a child had been shot. Michael was found on the floor with a gunshot wound; he was transported to Aurora Lakeland Medical Center and pronounced dead shortly after 3 a.m.

Investigators took Michael’s stepfather, Steven D. Merkel, into custody at the scene. Merkel told detectives he had been showing Michael weapons to seem cool, had removed the magazine from a 9mm handgun and believed it would not fire, then pointed the gun at Michael and pulled the trigger expecting only a click. The shot struck beneath Michael’s chin and caused a fatal neck injury. Merkel also acknowledged consuming two small rum-and-cola drinks that evening and admitted to prior incidents of drawing a handgun near Michael.

Merkel was charged with first-degree reckless homicide; bond and an initial court hearing were set and prosecutors emphasized that Merkel’s deliberate handling of the firearm around a child made the death preventable. Michael’s family, classmates and school community were described as deeply affected; Brook Park Elementary provided counselors and support personnel.

Does anyone in the Geneva or La Grange Park area have information about Michael’s last hours or the household where this happened?