A 25-year-old Army veteran is dead and three other people were wounded after a chaotic weekend shooting in Janesville's Fourth Ward neighborhood, and by Monday evening, five suspects ranging in age from 19 to 21 were in custody facing homicide and attempted homicide charges. Jason Kaplan died from his injuries after multiple shots rang out in the 100 block of South Academy Street early Sunday morning, according to police.
The Rock County Communications Center received numerous 911 calls around 12:31 a.m. Sunday reporting a disturbance involving yelling and a physical altercation, as reported by WQOW. Emergency callers originally described the disturbance as centered near South Academy Street and West Court Street before gunfire broke out, according to Big Radio. Witnesses reported hearing approximately two to six gunshots, and Janesville police officers arriving on scene found three people with gunshot wounds, while a fourth victim suffered a facial injury after being struck in the head by a firearm.
Witness statements, video surveillance, and other evidence suggested that more than one person fired a gun and that multiple people were armed during the physical disturbance, the station's report notes. Witnesses also saw a gray SUV leaving the area, a vehicle that would soon become central to the multi-agency manhunt that followed.
A Mother Remembers Her Son
Kaplan's mother, Sharon Stark, said her son served two years in the U.S. Army and was intensely dedicated to his work, telling CBS 58 that he never missed a single day on the job. Kaplan was the sole fatal victim among the four people hurt or killed in the shooting.
Investigators say there is no evidence of an ongoing or direct threat to the community now that the arrests have been made. Still, the path to those arrests stretched across three counties over roughly 48 hours, pulling in SWAT teams and detectives from multiple jurisdictions.
Manhunt Spans Rock, Green and Dane Counties
The Janesville Police Department SWAT team served a search warrant around 1:30 p.m. Sunday in the 1800 block of South Crosby Avenue, while the Rock County Sheriff's Office SWAT team served a separate warrant around 6 p.m. Sunday in the 700 block of East Philhower Road in the Town of Beloit. Officers seized ammunition, clothing, and cellular phones during the searches, along with drug paraphernalia and U.S. currency, per the same account from WQOW.
Beloit police located the gray SUV believed to be connected to the shooting inside Beloit city limits, and officers there took 20-year-old driver Mantezz Granger into custody before transferring him to Rock County authorities, according to a Janesville Police Department post. Granger now faces party to a crime charges including first-degree intentional homicide, three counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide, and two counts of recklessly endangering safety.
Demetrius Cooper, 19, was arrested after officers saw him leaving a residence tied to the investigation. He faces party to a crime charges of first-degree intentional homicide, three counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide, and two counts of first-degree reckless endangering safety. Marshaun Jones, 21, was separately arrested and charged directly with first-degree intentional homicide, along with three counts of party to a crime involving attempted first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of party to a crime involving first-degree reckless endangering safety.
Two Suspects Turned Themselves In
Tyshawn Howe, 19, turned himself in at the Janesville Police Department lobby around 4 p.m. Monday and now faces party to a crime charges of first-degree intentional homicide, three counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide, and two counts of recklessly endangering safety. Charles Crenshaw III, 20, also turned himself in at the police department; he was arrested for a felony probation violation, and his level of involvement in the shooting itself is still being investigated.
The Green County Sheriff's Office multi-jurisdictional SWAT team, assisted by the Rock County Sheriff's Office and Janesville Police Department, served an additional search warrant around 9 p.m. Monday. The homeowner tied to that address reportedly has previous ties to Janesville. Madison police also conducted a consent search around 11:50 p.m. Monday in the 00 block of Kessel Court in Madison, underscoring how far the investigation reached beyond Rock County.
Under Wisconsin Statute § 940.01, first-degree intentional homicide is a Class A felony carrying a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment upon conviction, with sentencing judges determining whether parole or extended supervision is permissible after at least 20 years have been served, according to Gansner Law. The reason all four co-defendants face identical charges traces back to Wisconsin Statute § 939.05, which establishes that anyone who intentionally aids, abets, or conspires in a crime is legally a party to that crime and faces the same penalties as the person who directly committed it, per FindLaw.
A Rare Escalation for Janesville
Police say all suspects involved in the physical altercation have now been arrested. The Janesville Police Department's patrol division, street crimes unit, and detective bureau are continuing the investigation and are asking anyone with information to come forward.
This marks the second major multi-victim shooting to shake Janesville in just over a year. In June 2025, a domestic-related murder-suicide at the Aspen Square Apartments left four people dead, though that case involved an isolated domestic relationship rather than a public street confrontation, according to CBS 58's earlier reporting. Janesville recorded three homicides in 2024 and has generally maintained a violent crime rate well below its historical averages, according to OpenCrime and the City of Janesville's own performance tracking, which credits police strategies targeting gangs, drugs, and chronic nuisance properties. Crime data analysts have also projected the tangible financial cost of violent crime in Janesville at $211 per resident, below both the Wisconsin state average of $238 and the national average of $258, according to CrimeGrade.org. Neighboring Beloit, where the fleeing SUV was ultimately found, recorded a violent crime rate of 412 per 100,000 residents in 2025, according to Reolink.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Janesville Police Department at 608-755-3100 or Crime Stoppers at 608-756-3636. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the P3 Tips smartphone application.
