A World Cup watch party on Milwaukee's south side turned deadly when a security guard was shot outside a neighborhood bar, and a St. Francis man is now facing homicide charges. Police say a June 18 confrontation at Fiesta Carambola ended in gunfire, and 37-year-old security guard Daniel Carpenter later died at a hospital. Authorities arrested 40-year-old Michael Carroll-Garcia in Vilas County and a judge set his cash bond at $1,000,000 ahead of a court hearing next week.
Charges and arrest
Carroll-Garcia is charged with first-degree reckless homicide and first-degree recklessly endangering safety, both with dangerous-weapon modifiers, along with one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to CBS58. Prosecutors say they identified him using surveillance footage and witness statements. He appeared in court on June 30, when the $1,000,000 cash bond was set. Officials say the investigation is still active.
What prosecutors say
According to the criminal complaint, the shooting followed an altercation inside Fiesta Carambola while patrons watched the Colombia‑Uzbekistan World Cup match. Prosecutors say Carroll-Garcia went to his vehicle to retrieve a handgun, then opened fire as people were trying to leave. The complaint states he fired seven shots and that one vehicle was hit by gunfire while its driver escaped injury. Officers found Carpenter wounded outside the bar near South 19th and West Becher streets shortly after 12:36 a.m. on June 18, Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Victim and family
Friends and relatives identified Carpenter as the security guard killed and described him on a GoFundMe memorial page as a "kind and caring person" who was trying to protect others when he was shot. The family’s fundraiser had collected about $1,330 for funeral costs as of July 1, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Loved ones and community members are urging anyone who has video or information from that night to reach out to investigators.
Legal context
Online court records and prosecutors’ filings show Carroll-Garcia was convicted in 2006 of second-degree reckless homicide as a party to a crime, a felony that legally bars him from possessing firearms, prosecutors say. If convicted on the new charges, he faces the possibility of spending multiple decades in prison under the combined maximum penalties. Carroll-Garcia is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing on July 8, according to CBS58.
