Man Shot By Ex After Violating Court Order To Stay Away From Her

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – A man was shot by his ex-girlfriend after the two got into a physical altercation, according to authorities. The incident occurred in the 1800 block of Rawson Avenue around 2:50 in the afternoon.

The criminal complaint states that the 22-year-old woman was engaged in a telephone conversation with another person as she arrived at her apartment. According to that person, the victim mentioned during the conversation that she feared going home because her ex-boyfriend could be there waiting on her. The unidentified person said she heard her friend ask someone why they were at her house. She said she then heard a man, whom she identified as the suspect, say that he was there to get his things.

The victim told him that she would get his things and bring them down, but he got upset. The third-party said the two got into a “tussle” and the victim told the suspect, “Don’t come close to me, don’t come close to me.” Shortly after, she said she heard the suspect yell that he was shot, and the call was ended.

The man was identified by police as Theoplis McClain, 23, of Milwaukee. He admitted to being at the home of his ex-girlfriend and said either she or her new boyfriend shot him.

He was treated for a gunshot wound to the leg, arrested, and charged in Milwaukee County Circuit Court with three counts of felony bail jumping, with domestic abuse assessments as a domestic abuse repeater and habitual criminality repeater. If convicted, he could face fines up to $30,000 and decades behind bars.

No stranger to the law, McClain has numerous open felony cases in Milwaukee County, including a charge of discharging a firearm at the same woman in a previous incident. As a result of that charge, he was barred from contacting or being within 500 feet of her home, and he was prohibited from possessing a firearm. He was convicted in May 2021 of felony bail jumping in Brown County, as well as two domestic abuse crimes against the previously mentioned woman.  

The 22-year-old woman who police say shot the man is not facing charges and has not been identified. According to South Milwaukee Police Chief Bill Jessup, “She was not charged based on self-defense issues.”

There were no indications that the woman was injured in the latest incident, and no mention of her current boyfriend being present when the altercation and shooting occurred.