A man from Wisconsin, aged 39, faces spending the remainder of his life behind bars for the tragic shooting of a liquor and food store cashier. The incident occurred merely weeks after the cashier celebrated the birth of his first child, and was reportedly triggered by dissatisfaction with the preparation of a pizza.

On Wednesday, a Milwaukee County jury convicted Charles J. Leggett of first-degree intentional homicide with a dangerous weapon and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. This was in connection to the killing of 26-year-old Jamil I. Owies, as documented in court records examined by Law&Crime.

The jury needed less than half an hour to reach a unanimous decision on Leggett’s guilt for both charges. His sentencing is slated for December 17, where he will stand before Circuit Judge David L. Borowski.

As previously reported by Law&Crime, the Milwaukee Police Department responded to an emergency call at around 11:50 a.m. on October 19, 2024. The call came from Action Food and Liquor, located on the 3400 block of N. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, after a gunshot was heard and the victim was found lying behind the counter.

Upon their arrival, first responders discovered Owies with an apparent gunshot wound to the chest. Despite being unresponsive and pulseless, officers attempted CPR until paramedics arrived. Sadly, their efforts could not revive him, and Owies was declared deceased at the scene.

A colleague, working during the incident, recounted to police that he was employed as a cook and stock person. He was arranging items in coolers when Owies informed him of a pizza order. Shortly after, Leggett approached the rear of the store where cooking took place, but the witness stated that numerous obstacles obstructed his view, preventing a clear sight of Leggett.

When Leggett returned to Owies at the counter, the two began “speaking loudly and arguing” for about a minute before the employee heard a gunshot followed by the sound of the door of the store opening and closing. He ran to the front of the store and found Owies “on the ground gasping for air,” police wrote in a probable cause affidavit.

Security video from inside the store appears to show that Leggett did walk to the back after placing his pizza order before returning to the front and arguing with Owies. Police said the video “was of high quality” and that “the shooter”s face clearly visible.”

“Though the video does not have audio, it is apparent the shooter is upset, and begins to motion his hands at Owies,” the affidavit states. “Owies appears to argue back, and then the shooter reaches his hand into his right pocket where the handle of a handgun can be seen protruding from his pocket. The shooter then positions himself at the counter, and abruptly reaches over the counter with his right hand with the handgun in hand. The shooter puts the gun to Owies’ chest, shooting Owies, and then quickly runs out of the store, as Owies falls to the ground behind the counter.”

Authorities located Leggett and placed him under arrest. During a post-Miranda interview, Leggett allegedly explained that he went to the store for pizza but “observed the worker was making his pizza with no gloves on” and demanded someone else remake his food while wearing gloves.

“The Defendant informed Owies it was unsanitary, then Owies became loud with the Defendant and said he would do something to the Defendant,” the affidavit states. “[Police] asked the Defendant what he did, and the Defendant replied ‘I shot him.’ The Defendant stated he only shot one time, then ran out of the store and drove to a friends house and did not tell anyone what happened. He indicated he threw the clothes he was wearing out.”

When he appears for his sentencing hearing next month, Leggett faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.