A father just days from his 30th birthday was killed when his vehicle was struck by a suspected drunk driver, according to local reports.
The crash happened on Wednesday, Jan. 7, around 7:20 p.m. local time near the intersection of South 76th Street and West Morgan Avenue, ABC affiliate WISN, FOX affiliate WITI and CBS affiliate WDJT reported.
According to WISN, a 21-year-old driver was heading south on 76th Street when the collision occurred. One vehicle was turning left while another was traveling straight when they collided.
The 29-year-old driver of the second vehicle was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the outlets reported. The 21-year-old driver was taken into custody, according to the reports.
Authorities suspect the surviving driver was intoxicated at the time of the crash. Charges are pending with the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office, WISN reported.
The Milwaukee Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The victim has been identified as D’monte M. Owens, according to a spokesperson from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner.
In a statement shared with WISN, Owens’ wife said he was just days away from celebrating his 30th birthday. The couple had also planned to mark their wedding anniversary with a trip abroad in the coming weeks.
“He was the best father in the world,” she said of Owens, who leaves behind a 3-year-old daughter, according to the outlet.
Owens had recently reflected on the past year in a Facebook post on New Year’s Eve in 2024, calling it “wild” and noting major milestones.
“This year, I finally hit a major milestone I’ve been working on for a while — graduating and closing out a chapter of hard work,” he wrote. “It’s been a grind, but worth every bit of effort.”
He also shared that he had proposed to the love of his life — and that she accepted. “Guess I’m stuck with her now,” he wrote. He added that his daughter was growing quickly and continuing to teach him lessons every day.
After Owens’ death, his brother, Antwan Sterling, spoke about how devoted Owens was to his daughter.
“He loved that baby so much, I think that is why I hurt so much, man, because he loved her so much,” Sterling told WISN. “He did everything right and it just hurts, bro, because that is my only brother, I don’t have nobody else.”
