RACINE — A teen facing allegations he killed a man and then bragged about having “one under his belt” was in Racine County Circuit Court on Wednesday for a preliminary hearing.
Anthony E. Smith, who will turn 17 on Friday, June 8, was charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the shooting death of Musa Tawfiq Musa, who was 44 years old at the time of his death last year.
The defendant was also charged with endangering safety by reckless use of a firearm and possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under the age of 18 years old.
Court Commissioner Alice Rudebusch found there was sufficient evidence to send the matter forward for trial. An arraignment was scheduled for July 14 at 9 a.m.
The Racine Police Department's Major Crimes Unit van was seen on Aug. 24 near where a shooting was reported in the area of LaSalle and English streets. A 44-year-old man, Musa Tawfiq Musa, was fatally shot on that day; Anthony E. Smith Jr., 16, has been charged in connection with Musa's death.
Case history
The Racine Police Department responded to the 1900 block of LaSalle Avenue on Aug. 24, 2021 on a report of shots fired. At the scene officers found the gunshot victim, who was transported to the hospital but did not survive the shooting.
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During the course of the investigation, officers learned there had been a confrontation between Musa’s son and another party near the Musa home.
According to the criminal complaint, while at Wells Fargo Bank following the confrontation, a vehicle with the subject from the dispute drove past. Musa told his son to walk home while he (Musa) allegedly followed the vehicle from the bank.
Aaron Herrick, 24, who is a co-defendant in the case, was allegedly driving the suspect vehicle. According to the criminal complaint, Herrick reportedly said he “couldn’t shake” Musa, pulled over, and allegedly told Smith to give Musa “a quick three” — meaning to shoot him thrice.
Later, Smith was allegedly heard bragging about “having a body” and “one under his belt” following the shooting.
Co-defendant
Herrick is charged with first-degree intentional homicide as party to a crime, possession of cocaine with the intent to deliver, possession of a narcotic with the intent to deliver, and being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. A status hearing in the Herrick case is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 15.
Photos: Guns to Garden Tools
Guns to Garden Tools
This gun barrel is in the process of being transformed into a combination hand spade and rake. The metal is repeatedly heated, split and pounded.
Guns to Garden Tools
The park shelter at Wexford Park on Madison's Far West Side served as the site of Jeff Wild's protest against gun violence. He lives in the neighborhood and brought along a forge, anvil and steel hammer to show how he turns guns into garden tools.
Guns to Garden Tools
Jeff Wild, a retired Lutheran minister, explains how he uses a propane-fueled forge to heat gun barrels to transform the metal into garden tools. Wild was at Wexford Park on Madison's Far West Side last weekend to speak about gun violence and his efforts to bring attention to the issue.
Guns to Garden Tools
Jeff Wild uses a hammer and a 75-pound anvil to form a gun barrel into a garden tool during a demonstration at Wexford Park last weekend.
Guns to Garden Tools
Guns to Garden Tools
Jeff Wild's tools include a 75 pound anvil and a heavy steel hammer.
Guns to Garden Tools
Jeff Wild, a retired Lutheran minister, takes a Biblical approach to his messages about gun violence.
Guns to Garden Tools
Some of the tools that Jeff Wild has made from discarded guns.
Guns to Garden Tools
Some of the garden tools that Jeff Wild has made from discarded guns.
Guns to Garden Tools
A gun barrel that's being transformed into a garden tool cools in a bucket last weekend during a demonstration at Wexford Park.
Guns to Garden Tools
Jeff Wild uses a battery-powered grinder to cut slits into part of a flattened piece of a gun barrel in an attempt to make a combination fork and hand spade. Wild has been using a forge for more than two years but is now using his talents to protest gun violence.
Guns to Garden Tools
Jeff Wild heats a gun barrel so the metal can be bent and formed.
Guns to Garden Tools
A bucket of water is used to cool the heated gun barrel that is being turned into a garden tool.
Dee Hölzel
Reporter
Dee Hölzel has been reporting since 1999 and joined the Journal Times in October 2020. Dee graduated with an MA in History from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, specializing in the intersection of history and journalism.
