A late-night argument over missing food turned deadly in Milwaukee, where a 41-year-old woman now faces first-degree intentional homicide charges in what authorities describe as a fatal confrontation inside a residential home.
According to court records, Bonnie Blackwell has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in connection with the shooting death of 63-year-old Charley Collins. She was booked into the Milwaukee County Jail on Thursday and is scheduled to make her initial court appearance Saturday.
The incident unfolded around midnight on Feb. 21 at a home near the 2900 block of North 22nd Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Investigators say the dispute began after Collins retrieved food from a delivery driver. When he returned inside, tensions escalated.
A witness told authorities that Collins and Blackwell began arguing after he believed someone had taken his chicken. According to the criminal complaint, Blackwell reported hearing Collins say “somebody stole his chicken.” She later stated that when she checked the porch, she saw a Dr Pepper but no chicken.
The confrontation intensified inside the hallway of the home. Collins allegedly started “coming towards her in the hallway, aggressively calling her names, and she backed up, and then the gun went off,” according to Blackwell’s account described in the complaint.
Police said Blackwell told investigators she did not remember pulling the trigger but “admitted that she shot the victim in the back as he was walking away.”
Officers from the Milwaukee Police Department responded to the scene and attempted life-saving measures, but Collins was pronounced dead. Local station WITI reported that investigators recovered a fired bullet near the victim’s feet and a spent casing in the hallway.
As part of the homicide investigation, detectives reviewed jail phone communications. On one call placed to Blackwell’s phone on the day of the shooting, she allegedly stated, “I just shot somebody last night, and I think I killed him — I am going to be on the run,” according to WITI.
Blackwell was later taken into custody without further incident. Authorities have not disclosed whether she has retained legal representation. The case remains under active investigation as prosecutors prepare for upcoming court proceedings in Milwaukee County.
