Friends, family remember Racine woman killed by stray bullet; police seeking shooter

RACINE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- More than 50 people gathered Tuesday evening to mourn the death of a woman who police say was killed by a stray bullet.

Family and friends identified the victim as Chala Davis-Bell. Some poured tequila over a sand mixture that was covering dried blood still visible from the overnight shooting.

Those gathered then lit candles and released balloons while repeating some of Davis-Bell's favorite sayings.

Police said the 37-year-old woman was fatally struck by a bullet that was not intended for her. It happened around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday near the intersection of 11th St. and Washington Ave.

"A young woman who was out with one girlfriend, and they were just having a nice time in the street just enjoying the summer," Deputy Chief Jessie Metoyer said at a news conference Tuesday. "There were no groups. This was not a crowded area. They were just out there enjoying themselves, caught entirely as innocent victims."

Deja Franklin told reporters she was the girlfriend with Davis-Bell at the time of the shooting.

She said they were best friends and were dancing outside their car before planning to head into a nearby bar. That was when she heard gunfire.

"Her last words to me was, 'They shot me, friend.' That's gonna forever be marked in my head, in my mind," Franklin said.

Franklin said Davis-Bell was a mother of one, raising a 6-year-old daughter. She said her friend, whom she met in 7th grade, was currently driving for a school bus company in Milwaukee.

"Man, they took somebody that was great," Franklin said. "They took somebody that's great. Y'all took her from her daughter, man. Y'all took her from her daughter."

A recent spike in shootings

Police said the shooting was the latest incident amid a recent rise in gun violence. Officials said since Jan. 1, there have been 15 shooting incidents; between those cases, six people were wounded, and there have been two homicides.

There have now been four homicides in Racine so far in 2025. Police Chief Alex Ramirez said there were two at this time last year.

Police said one leading cause of guns getting into the hands of the wrong people is leaving their weapons in cars, where they can be taken during a break-in.

"What I'm saying to those individuals that like to use these guns as toys or some sort of way to settle an argument is we're gonna find you," Ramirez said. "We're gonna prosecute you, and if you're found guilty, you're gonna go to jail."

Ramirez was joined at the press conference by John Tate II, director of Racine's Office of Community Safety.

Two years ago, the city received a $1.5 million grant from the Medical College of Wisconsin to launch the new office.

Tate defended the agency's work amid the recent spike in shootings, pointing to the yearly total of 47 shots fired incidents compared to 55 through this time in 2024.

"We are seeing positive dividends," Tate said. "And when we have positive infrastructure in place, it does give a chance to respond to upticks in incidents because we're not starting from scratch."

Neighbors describe a growing nuisance

Neighbors near Tuesday's shooting scene said rowdy behavior and gunfire in the area has become increasingly commonplace.

They trace the problems to the Select 627 bar on Washington Ave. Baker Bossalini, who lives near the scene, said he's gotten so used to late-night gunfire, he barely looked out the window when he heard the shots after midnight Tuesday.

Bossalini said it was not until about 4 a.m., when he heard police pounding on a neighbor's door, that he took a closer look and noticed a large police investigation happening up the street.

"I don't wanna bring any bad light to anything like that, but the facts are what they are," Baker Bossalini said. "Since the bar opened, it's been negative activity over here."

Police said the shooting was not connected to any particular business. Bossalini and other neighbors said the worst problems come from people who don't enter the nearby bar but instead gather in the parking lots and in the street nearby.

Bossalini said he was most frustrated with the young men settling disputes around him with guns.

"I'm begging to the community. Wake up," he said. "Use your head, and stop being ignorant, making our city look bad. It's time to put down the BS and get on your square and do what y'all need to be doing as young men."