Complaint: Milwaukee man charged in road rage homicide of father driving kids to birthday party

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Charges have been filed against a Milwaukee man in connection to a fatal road rage shooting back in July of 2022.

Demetreon Caston-Townsend, 24, is charged with first-degree reckless homicide as a party to a crime in the death of Ronald Butler. 

Police responded to the area near 89th and Mill Road on the evening of July 19 and discovered Butler in the driver's seat of a van that had crashed. A criminal complaint says he had suffered a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene. 

According to the complaint, Butler was driving four of his children to a birthday party when a car sped past them, almost hitting their van. Investigators spoke to one of the passengers in the van who said Butler yelled at the vehicle to stop speeding because there were kids in the car. The car then reportedly pulled alongside the van and a "pew" sound was heard before Butler was seen slumped over in his seat. 

Detectives also spoke to a witness who reported hearing a loud gunshot and seeing the van swerving and jumping a median before crashing into a sign and other vehicles. The witness said the van came to rest after hitting a light pole. 

Another witness reported seeing the vehicle Caston-Townsend was allegedly driving run a red light at 91st and Mill, nearly striking Butler's van. The witness told investigators Butler raised his arms out of the window, as if complaining about the vehicle's driving, and moments later, the van lost control and crashed. 

The complaint says Caston-Townsend admitted to a witness that he "raised [his] gun and bust one time and must have hit him in the head" before getting rid of the gun, bullet shell and burning his clothes.

Cash bond has been set at $275,000.

Caston-Townsend is due for a preliminary hearing on March 29.