Kenosha man charged in shooting of 3-year-old sister

The 18-year-old Kenosha man accused of shooting his 3-year-old sister inside their house last week has been formally charged and held on a $25,000 cash bond.

Christian J. Koleske, already a convicted felon, was charged Friday afternoon with felonies of first-degree recklessly endangering safety with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm by an adjudicated felon, neglecting a child with a consequence of great bodily harm, and solicitation of harboring or aiding a felon by falsifying information in Kenosha County Circuit Court.

Koleske made his initial appearance at Intake Court before interim Court Commissioner Donald Bielski. He faces decades in prison if convicted of all charges.

A preliminary hearing is set for May 26.

A charge of child neglect was also referred for 19-year-old Dynasty Cooper by Kenosha Police. Cooper, a Kenosha resident, was allegedly present during the shooting but has not yet been formally charged.

Just before 11 a.m. on May 12 Kenosha Police were notified that a 3-year-old girl had been shot in a house in the 5100 block of 29th Avenue. Upon arrival, officers located the child in a bedroom on a bed crying and propped up on a pillow with a bath towel draped over her left leg, according to the criminal complaint.

When officers removed the towel they reportedly found a gunshot wound to the left thigh. Immediate first aid was administered as officers secured the shooting scene.

Earlier this week, Kenosha Police indicated that the gun involved in the incident had “mysteriously disappeared” long before police were notified of the shooting.

Koleske, a Bradford High School student, was reportedly not cooperative with police upon arrival. Once inside an officer reportedly found fresh blood next to a bed, a projectile next to an expended casing, the odor of gunpowder from a freshly fired firearm and a slight mist/smoke that eventually cleared that was attributed to the smoke from a fired gun.

When questioned Koleske reportedly denied that there was any gun and claimed the child did not get shot in the house but that they heard the gunshot outside. Officers found no bullet strikes from outside the residence.

Another officer reportedly found in the room a bullet defect in the wood floor and another defect on the lamp as if the bullet had ricocheted off the floor and into the lamp.

Koleske, according to the complaint, eventually seemed to agree that the shooting was an accident and that after his sister was shot he tried to take care of her by giving her Tylenol and wrapping the wound with a towel, and that he even tried using popsicles to help with the pain and slow the bruising. Koleske then reportedly called his mother and told her what happened and then his mother called his grandmother who ultimately called 911.

According to the criminal complaint, Koleske said that because he was on probation he was never going to call the police or 911 and did not want to go to jail.

Cooper, according to the complaint, said Koleske sold the gun to one of her relatives before police arrived.

Attorney Jessica Krejcarek appeared for the state and requested a $50,000 cash bond Friday at Intake Court. Attorney Chad Shamali served as Koleske’s defense attorney.

“There was a firearm in the home when he was watching his 3-year-old sister. That in handling that firearm he ended up shooting his 3-year-old sister in the leg and then instead of summing medical help or the police to assist he elected to call his mother who then called the grandmother. So it took the approximately 10 to 15 minutes for the grandmother to make the decision to call the police to get services for this gun shot wound,” Krejcarek said.

Before police arrived Krejcarek said Koleske, who was on probation, “was get the firearm out of the home by having someone come to the house to pick it up to get it out of there before anyone else arrived to render assistance.”

“Given the violent nature of the offense, the fact that he was an adjudicated felon in possession of a firearm as well as the seriousness of the injury I do believe that a high cash bond is warranted,” Krejcarek said adding has a very lengthy criminal history.

Shamali, however, asked for a minimal cash bail because he does not believe he’s a flight risk.

Bielski said aggravating factors in the case are Koleske’s “complete disregard” for the child’s treatment and trying to “evade the police and medical help.”

Child transported to hospital

The girl was transported via Flight for Life helicopter to an area hospital for emergency treatment.

Medical staff advised that the gunshot wound was a “through and through” wound and they took the child into an operating room to clean out the wound of debris and stitch the entry and exit wounds.

“The current history of not immediately seeking care for this wound, if true, is tantamount to medical neglect” according to medical staff cited in the criminal complaint.

The medical records also indicate, “although no bony or neurovascular damage, appropriate muscular healing and risk for infection are still a significant concern, and she still has the possibility of some motor deficit related to poor healing.”

Anyone with information regarding the firearm are asked to contact the Kenosha Police Department Detective Bureau at 262-605-5203 or the Kenosha Area Crime Stoppers at 262-656-7333.