MILWAUKEE – A 33-year-old Milwaukee woman who walked free from prison just 11 days earlier is accused of hunting down and shooting a 12-year-old boy in the leg over a dispute about which kids got to sell water bottles on a street median.
Cosetta Burrell then led deputies on a nearly six-mile, high-speed chase reaching speeds of more than 80 mph, with her four children, ages 7 to 12, inside the white SUV.
Prosecutors say Burrell, a convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms, got out of the vehicle near 60th Street and Silver Spring Drive on July 17 and fired five or six shots. One round struck the boy in the leg. Another bullet hit a nearby home occupied by several people, including a 2-month-old infant. No one inside the house was injured.
According to the criminal complaint, the confrontation stemmed from a turf dispute between the 12-year-old victim and Burrell’s son over street-side water bottle sales. Burrell, her girlfriend, and several children allegedly drove around the neighborhood looking for the boy before the shooting.
“Here you have what started as a dispute between two groups of children for water-bottle-selling-turf,” Milwaukee County Assistant District Attorney Mallory Davis told the court.
Burrell was released from prison on July 7 after serving time for physical abuse of a child, and one of the victims in that earlier case is connected to the current incident, prosecutors noted. She was also awaiting trial in a separate felony identity theft case.
After the shooting, deputies spotted the vehicle using Flock cameras. When they tried to pull it over, Burrell fled. The pursuit ended with the SUV damaged, including at least one flat tire.
In recorded jail phone calls after her arrest, Burrell allegedly admitted to the shooting and referred to herself as a “hero.”
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Commissioner Barry Phillips was having none of it during her initial appearance Wednesday.
“Nobody in the community, nobody in the hood, thinks that somebody that shoots a 12-year-old kid is a hero,” Phillips said. “You are not a hero. If you did this, you’re a zero.”
Burrell faces 22 counts, including first-degree reckless injury, physical abuse of a child, possession of a firearm by a felon, fleeing an officer, felony bail jumping, and multiple counts of recklessly endangering safety. Her cash bond was set at $100,000. She is due back in court next week.The 12-year-old boy was treated for his leg wound and is expected to recover.
Defense attorney Isabella Jimenez told the court that Burrell understands the seriousness of the charges and intends to appear for all future court dates.
