A Racine neighborhood was rocked by gunfire on the evening of December 7, 2024, when 41-year-old Jeffrey Darrell Garrott was found with a fatal gunshot wound in the 1000 block of Villa Street. Officers reported hearing shots around 7:05 p.m. near 7th and Villa streets and located Garrott three minutes later behind a house in a fenced-in area. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Neighbors described multiple shots; one said their son heard the firing so clearly it sounded like it was outside his bedroom window and called 911. Evidence markers were later placed along the street where bullets had struck. Racine Police continued to search the block for more evidence and have appealed to the public for help. No suspects have been identified and the person or persons responsible remain at large.

If anyone has information about what happened that evening, please contact Racine Police or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers.