Darien Ballard, 34, was shot and killed during the early morning hours of October 14, 2025, outside Fryerz near North 27th Street and West Fond du Lac Avenue in Milwaukee. Ballard, known to family and friends as Jonny D, was working as a delivery driver when a caller reported hearing gunfire and seeing him fall near the street in front of the parking lot. Officers found him lying beside a Ford Escape; he was pronounced dead at the scene after being struck multiple times.

Prosecutors say surveillance footage from Fryerz and a neighboring business played a central role in the investigation. Charging documents allege the Ford Escape arrived at about 1:12 a.m.; an SUV that parked nearby is shown with a man and woman entering Fryerz, returning to the SUV, then another person joining them before two men went to the Escape. Video appears to show a struggle in the Escape, a person stumbling from the driver’s door and collapsing, and the SUV driving past the fallen victim before returning. Investigators found two cellphones inside the Escape, one in a case containing a license for Ryan Moore Jr., and traced the SUV to Omaha, Nebraska, where it was connected to Ezzard Diggins.

Did anyone in the area see the vehicles or activity in the Fryerz parking lot that night?