Michael J. Patton, 44, was killed at his own bar, Mike’s Place, on Milwaukee’s north side on the afternoon of October 24, 2016. Police found him unconscious just inside the front entrance; he had blunt force trauma to the head and multiple gunshot wounds. The bar’s condition suggested a struggle. Investigators recovered six .22 caliber casings and noted a blood smear on a wooden fence in the courtyard behind the building.

Evidence quickly linked 38-year-old Michael Cooper to the scene. DNA from the blood on the fence matched Cooper, and firefighters later found items being burned that included an empty box of ammunition, a ski mask, gloves, and paperwork with Patton’s personal information; a witness tied those burning items to Cooper. A witness also reported Cooper had gone to the bar that day claiming Patton owed him money.

One witness later told police he saw Cooper shoot Patton repeatedly and strike him over the head with liquor bottles. Cooper was tried, convicted of first-degree intentional homicide and possession of a firearm by a felon, and sentenced to life with the possibility of release to extended supervision only after serving 45 years. Does anyone have memories of Mike’s Place or information about the hours before the shooting that could shed light on what happened?