In the early morning hours of September 18, 2022, a violent encounter outside Las Margaritas tavern in Kenosha, Wisconsin, left James Hood, 35, dead. The altercation began inside the bar and spilled outside; after two men were ejected, gunfire erupted from a vehicle they occupied. Hood and another man, Houston Oliver, were fatally wounded and two others were injured.

Surveillance footage and witness interviews identified Kendal T. Readus and James C. Murphy, both 29, as the primary suspects. Prosecutors say Murphy drove the car while Readus fired from the back seat. Warrants followed; Murphy was arrested in October 2022 and Readus was arrested later. Both faced multiple charges, including two counts of murder and counts for discharging a firearm from a vehicle.

The shooting happened during a night when the tavern had already been on edge after a recent shooting weeks earlier. Anyone who saw or has information about the events outside Las Margaritas that night is asked to come forward.