Man charged in fatal bus stop attack of MPS teacher; 9-year-old witness describes beating

Man charged in fatal bus stop attack of MPS teacher; 9-year-old witness describes beating Advertisement Updated: 7:40 AM CST Nov 11, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Taylor Lang Digital Content Manager Hannah Hilyard Reporter Man charged in fatal bus stop attack of MPS teacher; 9-year-old witness describes beating Updated: 7:40 AM CST Nov 11, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Taylor Lang Digital Content Manager Hannah Hilyard Reporter MILWAUKEE — A 22-year-old man is charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the death of Harry Bruce, who was found badly injured and died near a bus stop on Milwaukee’s North 12th Street on Nov. 5, according to a criminal complaint. The complaint alleges Daylan Mallard attacked Bruce, 56, while an adult witness was getting off a bus. Advertisement The witness, identified in the complaint by the initials LSM, told police that while she was waiting at the bus stop, a person she didn’t know came up and told her, "That old man was just waiting at the bus stop and this man walked up to him and charged him for no reason.” She told police that Mallard held Bruce in a headlock and punched him repeatedly. She said Bruce appeared unable to defend himself and was bleeding from his nose and mouth. LSM told investigators that Mallard threatened her, saying, “I’m gonna come after you too, once I’m done with him.” She said Bruce told her to “go” while struggling to breathe. The witness also told police she saw Mallard drag Bruce by a lanyard around his neck and continue hitting him after he stopped moving. Hearst Owned Another witness, a 9-year-old girl, detailed a similar account. WISN 12 News is not identifying her, but she spoke with a reporter with her father's permission. "The guy was on top of the other guy, and then he was keep beating him and keep doing it," the little girl said. "Then he got off of him, and then he stopped for a minute, and then he choked him out." "Were you scared at all?" the reporter asked? "A little bit, because it's just scary," the girl responded. Security video showed what the little girl described. The complaint said the footage showed an individual believed to be the suspect punching a person on the ground for three minutes, getting up and walking away, then returning and attacking the person again. The video also showed bystanders gathering before officers arrived, the complaint says. The complaint stated three people who had been at a nearby restaurant went to help after a woman alerted them to the attack. One of them told police he saw Mallard pulling on a lanyard around Bruce’s neck while pressing down on him with his feet. The men yelled at Mallard to stop, and one pulled the lanyard away, according to the complaint. One of the men began CPR on Bruce. Hearst Owned Police arrived and found Bruce unconscious and not breathing, the complaint says. Officers and firefighters tried to revive him, but he died. An autopsy found Bruce suffered blunt force injuries to his head and neck, as well as injuries consistent with manual strangulation. The medical examiner determined the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries and manual strangulation, and ruled the death a homicide, according to the complaint. Mallard was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, a Class A felony punishable by life in prison if he is convicted. Video below: Family and friends hold vigil for MPS special education teacher killed in beating Make WISN a preferred source on Google Add Preferred Source Share Infinite Scroll Enabled Top Picks Missing baby in South Carolina found buried alive a day after authorities say his father took him Mother and two young children killed in Missouri crash after semitruck struck their minivan Donald Trump’s private message to Joe Biden emerges in new White House memoir Kyle Busch posthumously wins NASCAR Cup Series most popular driver award in Miami