On June 14, 2019, 17-year-old Donavagn L. Swanagan, a Black/African American male, was shot and killed in the front yard of a home near 56th and Greenfield in Milwaukee. The confrontation began as a planned robbery: Swanagan and an associate, 18-year-old Antonio Sanfilippo, allegedly intended to rob two people who, unknown to them, had planned to take Swanagan’s gun. Swanagan entered a Chevy Tahoe and handed his gun to the front passenger. Sanfilippo then approached the vehicle armed, struck the driver and demanded valuables. Shots were fired during the struggle; Swanagan was found dead after officers responded to reports of gunfire around 1:15 a.m. The Tahoe’s driver, Lanz Harwell, told investigators he fired his .380 caliber handgun into the air after being attacked by Sanfilippo.

Both Sanfilippo and 28-year-old Harwell were arrested. Sanfilippo was charged with felony murder; in October 2019 he pleaded guilty and received six years in prison plus nine years of extended supervision. Harwell faced charges with a jury trial set for December 2019. Two firearms linked to the incident were later recovered from the bottom of the Milwaukee River. If anyone knew Donavagn, witnessed the events near 56th and Greenfield that night, or has information about the weapons’ recovery, please share what is known.