The Dane County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the man shot and killed in downtown Madison over the weekend as 27-year-old Daundre Young Johnson of Wisconsin Dells. Johnson was found with a gunshot wound early Saturday in the 100 block of South Pinckney Street and later died at a hospital, following what police described as a large fight that broke out before shots were fired.
According to WMTV 15 News, the medical examiner's office formally identified Johnson this week, confirming his age and hometown. The station reports his death remains under investigation by both the Madison Police Department and the medical examiner's office. Officers had responded to the area after reports of gunshots and a large fight, and, per the City of Madison, located an injured man on the ground with a gunshot wound.
Suspect Faces $1 Million Bond After Days-Long Search
Police arrested 28-year-old Devon Nelson on Monday, following what the station's report describes as a days-long search for a suspect. Nelson was charged Wednesday with one count of first-degree intentional homicide and remained in the Dane County Jail as of Wednesday afternoon. A judge set his cash bond at $1 million, according to Fox47.
Fox47 also reports that the cause and manner of Johnson's death were still pending as of Wednesday, with additional testing underway. Per the same outlet, Johnson was found with the gunshot wound in the 100 block of South Pinckney Street early Saturday before he died at a hospital.
Violent Crime Unit Leads Ongoing Investigation
The Madison Police Department's Violent Crime Unit is leading the investigation into the shooting, according to the city's incident report. Police said the violence followed a large fight, a detail also noted by WKOW, which confirmed Johnson's identification by the medical examiner's office and his age as 27.
The City of Madison says information about the case may be submitted anonymously through Madison Area Crime Stoppers or p3tips.com, and tipsters could be eligible for a monetary reward if an arrest is made.
Part of a Broader Pattern of Violence Downtown
The shooting adds to a string of violent incidents the department has tracked in recent years. The City of Madison reported that officers responded to 117 reports of gunshots fired in 2025, a 10.7% decrease compared to 2024, and that the department investigated five homicides in 2025 compared with seven the year before. Officers also recovered 323 shell casings during incidents in 2025, a 22.9% decrease from the prior year, per the city's own data.
Those citywide numbers offer some context for a department that has also been investigating other fatal shootings this year, including one on Madison's north side in September for which a person of interest had been identified, according to the City of Madison. Johnson's death remains the latest case placed in the hands of the Violent Crime Unit as the investigation into the downtown shooting continues.
