'I Can't Believe I Shot Him' Brown Deer Man Charged in Death of Girlfriend's Son

BROWN DEER -- A 61-year-old Milwaukee man has been charged in the shooting of his girlfriend's son, after the man felt he was being disrespected in his own house.

Jesse James, 61, Brown Deer, is being held in the Milwaukee County Jail on a $100,000 cash bond. His charge, 1st Degree Reckless Homicide, carries a maximum of 40 years in prison.

The Incident

Brown Deer police responded to an apartment at 5005 West Bradley Road in Brown Deer on a report of a shooting. When police arrived on-scene inside the apartment building, the victim's mother advised police that her boyfriend Jessie had shot her son.

According to his criminal complaint, police knocked on the door and ordered the suspect, later identified as James, to come out with his hands up.

As James was detained in the hallway, he said, “I can’t believe I shot him,” investigators say.

According to his complaint, when officers entered the apartment, they found the victim lying on the floor in a large pool of blood, having suffered an apparent gunshot wound to his abdomen. A 12-gague pump-action shotgun was observed in plain view by officers, leaning up against the wall of a closet in the bedroom.

The Confrontation

Police say the victim, Mannix Franklin had been staying in the apartment over the previous week.

On the day of the shooting, Mannix reportedly came home from work when a verbal argument between he and James ensued, the complaint said.

According to the complaint, James told Mannix to shut up, but Mannix reportedly talked back, showed disrespect and began to play loud music and started singing. James threatened to call police, but was talked out of it by his girlfriend.

According to his criminal complaint, Mannix continued to taunt James, stating "Jessie ain't gonna do (expletive)." At that point, James went to the bedroom to retrieve a shotgun. James reportedly left the shotgun in the bedroom, came back out into the living room, and again ordered Mannix to leave the apartment. Mannix still would not listen.

James reportedly went back into the bedroom, loaded the shotgun with one shell, and came out into the living room with the firearm and pointed the gun at Mannix. According to the complaint, Mannix said “You ain’t gonna do a damn thing, Jessie” or words to that effect, the complaint stated.

According to the complaint, James was approximately 7’ from Mannix at this time when he trigger and shot Mannix on the left side of his lower abdomen.