THE BLAZE
Three people are dead after a Wisconsin mother shot and killed her young children, wounded the father of the kids, and then turned the gun on herself.
Around 7:40 p.m. on Feb. 18, 34-year-old Jessica Jessmon opened fire on her family members inside their apartment in Middleton, Wisconsin, according to a statement from the Middleton Police Department.
The 31-year-old father suffered multiple gunshot wounds as he fled the home.
Police officers were in the Lakeview Village apartment complex at the time of the shooting and the father rushed to them to inform them that he had been shot.
The mother reportedly shot and killed her two children – 8-year-old Makyla Lacey-Robinson and 5-year-old Major Lacey-Robinson.
Jessmon then allegedly used the firearm to kill herself.
The Wisconsin State Journal said police were unsuccessful in making contact with Jessmon, who had barricaded herself and the children in the apartment. According to the affidavit, Dane County’s Tactical Response Team deployed a surveillance robot into apartment, which showed Jessmon unresponsive on the floor.
The father survived the shooting, and remains hospitalized in stable condition.
Middleton Police Capt. Tyler Loether said, “We grieve with our community. We are committed to supporting those impacted by this incident and respecting the privacy of the family.”
Jessmon shared custody of her two children with Sedale Lacey-Robinson, according to court documents.
In 2019, Lacey-Robinson was sentenced to prison for selling heroin laced with fentanyl and cocaine to an undercover officer. During his arrest, law enforcement found a handgun at his home.
The Wisconsin State Journal reported, “Court records show Jessmon and Lacey-Robinson had been in an ongoing custody dispute following his release from four years in federal prison for dealing heroin laced with fentanyl.”
In 2014, Lacey-Robinson was convicted of distributing heroin and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Jessmon, a paralegal student, also had felony drug convictions from a decade ago, according to court records.
According to the Wisconsin State Journal, Jessmon had agreed to get back together with Lacey-Robinson, but then he married another woman.
Shawna Tantillo said of her friend Jessica, “We became one big family. I love her like my sister. She is my family by choice, and I will forever love her, and my kids and I are so incredibly lucky to have her as a neighbor and to have met her.”
