Sharon Johnson, a 57-year-old Black woman, was shot and killed in the early morning hours of July 27, 2026, near North Holton Street and East Locust Street in Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood. Police said the shooting happened at about 2:44 a.m.; Johnson suffered fatal gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities initially described the person or people responsible as unknown and asked the public for tips.

Johnson was a mother of four and grandmother of seven who worked as a school lunch worker. Her sister, Tracy Johnson, remembered her as full of life, well known in the neighborhood, a runner and someone with many friends. Photographs of Johnson were placed outside the Riverwest residence where family members said she had spent some of her final moments.

Records show Milwaukee police had been dispatched nearly 200 times between 2020 and July 2026 to the units at that residence for incidents including batteries, family disturbances, welfare checks and weapons reports.

If anyone knew Sharon, saw activity around North Holton and East Locust in the early hours of July 27, or has information about the building and its occupants, please contact Milwaukee police or submit an anonymous tip.