Antero “Casper” Medina asked his girlfriend to hurry and pick him up before prosecutors say he was fatally shot inside Shenanigans.
KENOSHA, Wis. — Minutes before he was fatally shot inside a neighborhood bar, 33-year-old Antero “Casper” Medina stepped away from a tense exchange and called his girlfriend, asking her to hurry and pick him up, according to the criminal complaint charging a Milwaukee man with his killing.
That phone call has become one of the defining details in the case against Adam Scott Threlkeld, 45, who prosecutors say shot Medina once inside Shenanigans Bar & Grill on Sept. 20 and then fired repeatedly at police officers who encountered him nearby. Threlkeld faces seven felony charges, including first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide. His cash bail was later maintained at $5 million.
Medina’s family has described the man at the center of the case in terms far removed from the allegations now contained in court records. His sisters said he was an upbeat father of three with a sense of humor and a talent for bringing people together. Friends knew him as “Casper,” a nickname later reflected in a memorial outside Shenanigans, where mourners placed small ghost figures among other tributes after his death.
Investigators say Medina and Threlkeld were not believed to have known each other before the night of the shooting. What began as conversation inside the bar became increasingly tense, according to witnesses and surveillance footage summarized in the complaint. One witness described Threlkeld’s tone as growing louder and more aggressive. Prosecutors said the video appeared to show Medina trying to avoid further contact as the exchange continued.
At about 8:22 p.m., Medina moved away while speaking by phone with his girlfriend. According to investigators, he told her he needed a ride and asked her to hurry. When he returned to the area inside the bar, prosecutors say Threlkeld again moved close to him. Another person attempted to separate them. Surveillance video described by authorities showed Medina shifting away from the confrontation while Threlkeld remained close.
Two minutes later, the encounter turned deadly. The complaint says Threlkeld drew a handgun from his waistband or pocket area and initially held it behind his right leg. Investigators put the interval between the visible drawing of the gun and the shot at roughly 14 seconds. Prosecutors say Threlkeld then raised the weapon and fired once toward Medina’s chest. Medina stumbled and collapsed near a pool table. He was pronounced dead after officers arrived.
The complaint provides a detailed account of those final moments but leaves a major question unresolved: why the confrontation escalated to gunfire. One account of the court records said Threlkeld had tried to sell Medina marijuana. Police Chief Patrick Patton, however, said investigators had not identified a clear motive and emphasized that authorities did not believe the two men had a prior relationship. He described the initial conflict as something far short of a major fight.
That uncertainty separates what investigators say the video establishes from what remains unexplained. The state’s evidence, as described publicly, includes surveillance footage, witness accounts, physical evidence and statements attributed to Threlkeld after he was taken into custody. Those materials may describe how the shooting happened, but prosecutors and police have not publicly established a complete reason for why Medina was targeted.
For Medina’s relatives, the consequences were immediate. The father of three was dead before the criminal case had even begun. Family members gathered outside the tavern, where his sister Alexa Flores described him as someone who meant everything to her. Friends recalled a man who regularly stopped at the bar to relax and socialize. Their comments offered a portrait of Medina as a person rather than simply the victim named in a felony complaint.
While officers were tending to the shooting scene, the case expanded beyond Shenanigans. Investigators say Threlkeld had left the bar and was walking nearby when Kenosha police encountered him around 24th Avenue and 53rd Street. Marked squads approached with emergency lights activated. Prosecutors say Threlkeld then fired toward the officers, turning the response to Medina’s shooting into a second armed confrontation less than a block away.
Authorities say 15 shots were fired from Threlkeld’s weapon during that encounter. One police vehicle was struck multiple times, including in areas around its hood, windows and tires. Officers returned fire and hit Threlkeld. He was taken into custody and transported for treatment. Police said no officers suffered significant physical injuries. Investigators later reported recovering a handgun with an empty magazine from Threlkeld.
The physical evidence described in court filings closely tracks the two scenes. Investigators reported one spent round associated with the shooting inside the tavern and 15 at the location of the police encounter. Body-camera and dash-camera video also became evidence in the broader investigation. Chief Patton characterized the gunfire toward the officers as an ambush, saying the videos showed the danger faced by police as they arrived to investigate the original shooting.
After his arrest, the complaint says Threlkeld made a series of statements to police and medical personnel. Prosecutors allege he acknowledged shooting Medina and firing at police. One statement quoted in the complaint says, “I hope he dies. I had to teach him a lesson.” In other remarks, investigators said Threlkeld suggested he had expected to die during the gunfire with officers. The statements have not been tested at trial, and the prosecution still bears the burden of proving its allegations.
The state ultimately charged Threlkeld with first-degree intentional homicide in Medina’s death, two counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide involving police, two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, possession of a firearm by a felon and felony bail jumping. The charges cover both the tavern shooting and the later confrontation with officers, while also reflecting prosecutors’ allegations about Threlkeld’s prior legal status.
Authorities said Threlkeld had a prior felony conviction that prohibited him from possessing a firearm. He also had a pending Milwaukee County case at the time of the Kenosha shooting and had been released on a signature bond. The bail-jumping charge in Kenosha is based on the allegation that the new conduct violated conditions tied to that earlier case. Those background allegations are separate from the question a jury would ultimately be asked to decide about Medina’s death.
The shootings also produced two parallel law-enforcement investigations. Kenosha police investigated Medina’s homicide, while the officer-involved shooting was assigned to the Kenosha-Racine Area Investigative Team, with the Racine County Sheriff’s Office serving as lead agency. That division kept the review of police gunfire separate from the department’s investigation into the killing that first brought officers to the neighborhood.
Threlkeld eventually appeared in Kenosha County court after receiving medical treatment for the wounds he suffered during the police encounter. At an Oct. 8 hearing, local reporting said he appeared in a wheelchair and his $5 million cash bail was continued. His attorney did not contest that amount at the proceeding. Threlkeld has not been convicted of the Kenosha charges and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
For Medina’s family, however, the court process follows a loss that cannot be reduced to the seven counts listed in the complaint. Their public statements have continued to emphasize the children and relatives he left behind, while investigators and prosecutors work through the evidence surrounding his final minutes. A review of publicly available reporting did not establish a later final disposition of the case.
Author note: Last updated Nov. 9, 2026.