Police say that the robbery was staged and that the victim was best friends of the suspect's daughter... The shooter was an employee who was oblivious to the situation, defending the restaurant.

Police believe that a teenager who worked at Burger King was killed in a robbery.

According to criminal complaints, Niesha Harris-Brazell, 16, was involved in the heist and was shot by an unwittingly armed colleague who fired at the thief... who was also her best friend's father.

Milwaukee police responded to a shooting at Burger King W. Capitol Drive on January 2nd, around 10:13 pm. Upon arrival, they found Harris-Brazell ( pictured above left) lying on the ground with gunshot wounds in his chest.

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She was taken to the hospital, but she died from her injuries. It was ruled a homicide by the coroner.

Investigators reviewed the surveillance footage and saw a Chevy Impala pull up at the drive-thru window at 10.05 pm. The restaurant had just closed. Staff were cleaning up so nobody was there to open the window.

As the car drives away, the driver raps on the windows. A male juvenile employee opens the window and says something to the driver. Three minutes later, it circles back and pulls up to the window again. Harris-Brazell then opens the window and the car quickly turns around.

She starts emptying the cash register and holds it, shouting at her coworkers. But she does not go to the window. 40 seconds later, the driver climbs through the window, arming himself with a semiautomatic gun. He gestures at her with the gun, but she remains motionless and calls back to the restaurant.

She falls suddenly to the ground. The robber reaches out and grabs the window from the car. The victim is left on the floor, bleeding and rolling around, crying out.

According to the report, "It doesn't appear that the Impala driver discharged his gun, as there isn't muzzle flash or smoke, there isn't cartridge casing ejected and there is no motion consistent w/ the recoil a gun."

Police believe Derrick Ellis was the shooter. Other cameras capture Ellis calling Ellis during the standoff and Ellis looking around the corner to see Ellis peering through the window to see the armed thief halfway.

According to the report, Ellis reaches for the door with a gun and fires at the drive-thru windows. "Muzzle flashes from Ellis's gun and can be seen being ejected form it. [HarrisBrazell] stood between Ellis and Impala driver in the line-of-fire.

Ellis is also identified by bullet holes in the window as the only fatal gunman. "Nothing was found that would suggest that the Impala driver fired his gun."

The case would take a different, more bizarre turn.

During the investigation, police arrested Antoine Edwards ( pictured above right as the driver for the Impala) and discovered that his 16-year old daughter Mariah Edwards was working at Burger King the night of the failed robbery.

Later, she would tell investigators that she was the victim’s best friend and that they had all planned the heist together.

Mariah Edwards gave an initial witness statement, but she never mentioned her father. She even spoke to the televised media about the tragedy.

After she was identified as a suspect by police, she was reinterviewed and she confessed to lying.

The criminal complaint states that she now admits that the robbery was staged in order to steal money. She was also involved in the plan. She said NHB was her best friend and that she was the victim. Antoine Edwards, the Impala driver, was her father.

Detectives were told by her that she and her father had planned to rob the drive-thru window at closing time, when it was most likely that the register would have lots of cash.

Harris-Brazell worked in the window while Edwards was in the kitchen. Her friend was to take the cash.

She said Ellis was not involved in the plot.

She claimed that she saw her father the night before the robbery. She then went into the hallway to call him on his cell phone to confirm. He confirmed and said he would turn around. Harris-Brazell was there with her during the conversation, she said.

However, things didn't go as planned. Police asked her to admit that her father did not plan to climb through the window. She said Harris-Brazell did not immediately give her the cash as she panicked. He has a gun!"

Police interviewed Edwards' father and found that his statement was identical to hers, except that he "insulates" his daughter.

"... despite calling his daughter to plan the robbery, his daughter gave the phone to NHB immediately. The plan was executed between NHB and him, with no input from his daughter," reads the statement.

On the night of the robbery he admitted that he borrowed the Impala's owner and took the license plates.

He claimed that Harris-Brazell had not handed over the money as planned, and "was taking to long," so he crawled into the window.

He said that someone had set fire to the building and then he ran for his life.

Antoine Edwards has been convicted of burglary before and is now facing Felony murder, Death by Intentional Contribution and Possession by a felon.

Mariah Edwards was also arrested. However, it is unclear what charges she will face.

Harris-Brazell's mother Liceal Brazell, however, claimed that the father and daughter lie to save their skin.

"It's really maddening, it's driving me mad. She said that you had told many lies and now you will tell even more. That's not going help you. It's not going help your father."

"Why would she do this?" She didn't need no money."

"But my God, he is good, and will make everything come to light. She added, "And I truly feel that."

Derrick Ellis ( pictured below) has been on the loose since the shooting. Police said that Ellis, who is also a convicted felon faces at least charges of felon in possession. He was carrying the gun "prior to any circumstances that might allow him to possess it," they added.

The store manager identified Ellis, a worker who carries a gun at work in an interview with police. She told Ellis that Ellis had asked her to conceal the gun after the shooting because he had a previous felony conviction.

Police also arrested a 38 year old woman on the spot, for a misdemeanor of resisting or obstruction of an officer and a felony of straw purchasing firearm. This is when someone buys a gun for someone who can't pass a background check, or doesn't want their names attached.

Hours later, she was released on $1,300 bail.

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Title: Burger King Employee, 16, Shot Dead in Botched Robbery She Helped Set Up: Criminal Complaint
Sourced From: toofab.com/2022/01/17/burger-king-employee-16-shot-dead-in-robbery-she-helped-set-up-police/
Published Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2022 21:59:01 +0000

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