Arieuna Reed: 23-Year-Old Mother Shot Dead Outside Apartment Complex
Arieuna Reed, a 23 year-old mother, was shot to death by the father of her child on Saturday, February 5, 2022, in Brown Deer, Wisconsin. The man, who shot two other people, committed suicide a short time later.
Arieuna Reed of Brown Deer, Wisconsin, was a young mother who was determined to become an entrepreneur.
According to local reports, Reed, who was just 23, worked as a medical assistant and was close to starting a vending machine business.
As a mother to beautiful 2-year-old named Egypt, Reed was determined to make co-parenting work with the father of her child.
"She was moving on with her life, but apparently he had other plans," her mother, Tracy Reed told local TV station WISN.
On the morning of Saturday, February 5, 2022, Reed’s parents got a phone call from the father of Reed’s child.
"it was him saying 'It's over, come get Egypt now,'" Tracy Reed recalled. "From my understanding is when she dropped him off and as she was leaving he shot her from the balcony.”
The suspect, who turned the gun on himself and took his life, is also accused of shooting two other people, although authorities have not divulged a possible motive.
According to Reed’s mother, the 26-year-old gunman “ended up shooting the two people that were trying to help our daughter," she said through tears. "We believed that if they would have gotten her help she still would have been with us."
According to an account from police, after Reed was wounded by gunfire, a 31-year-old man and a woman tried to intervene to get her inside their car. The gunman came outside and began shooting at the trio, hitting the man in his middle section.
A neighbor, Eric Lewis, who was also injured in the melee, told a TV station that he came outside after hearing the gunshots and saw an injured woman crawling back toward the apartments.
Here’s how Fox 6 describes the surreal scene: “Then Lewis said the shooter reloaded, walked up to the 23-year-old woman and emptied his clip at point-blank range. While officers arrived and were fired upon, Lewis said he ran to check on the injured man. As he made contact, he said the shooter fired at him from the balcony, hitting his right leg around the ankle.”
About 45 later, Lewis said he heard what sounded like a “muffled shot” upstairs in the apartment, presumably from the gunman shooting himself. Also in the apartment was a child, who police say was unharmed.
Along with Reed, the 31-year-old man died from his injuries.
Talking to reporters, Police Chief Pete Nimmer said, “It appears it started as a domestic dispute between two people.”
Whatever the cause, the tragedy remains an inexcusable crime that has become all too common for black women.
"It hurts because when you take away a beautiful life that cared about others we miss out," her mom told WISN. "It deeply saddens us that her son will not be able to see that spirit anymore."
"She was an awesome kid. Never really had any problems with her growing up," her father told WISN 12. "I mean it's a parents dream to have a child of her magnitude, respectful and honorable to her parents. Real vivacious and an infectious character that people would just gravitate towards her."
Domestic Violence Resources
National Domestic Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY)
