Jaisiah Dauquan Owens was a 25-year-old man from Manitowoc whose life ended after gunfire outside the Clover Meadows Apartments shortly after 1:30 a.m. on September 23, 2025. Owens, a Lincoln High School graduate who worked at Manitowoc Tool and Manufacturing, was described by family and friends as a devoted father and son with an infectious laugh. He was struck three times — wounds to the chest and abdomen that pierced a lung, liver and aorta, plus a leg wound — and was later found at a separate vehicle on South 17th Street where officers attempted life-saving measures before he was pronounced dead.

Authorities identified 20-year-old Kirk Dunn as the other person involved in the shooting. Dunn told investigators he retrieved a firearm after seeing an unfamiliar vehicle, asserted he saw a blue laser aimed at him, and said someone fired first; prosecutors have charged him with first-degree intentional homicide and second-degree recklessly endangering safety, alleging he used a .40-caliber handgun and that a round entered a residence where someone was sleeping. Dunn pleaded not guilty and has maintained a self-defense claim; the competing accounts of who shot first remain for the court to decide.

Friends and relatives held a vigil and remembered Owens’ impact on the community and the Nolden family recalled his longtime ties through Big Brothers Big Sisters. Does anyone have information about Owens that could help clarify what happened that night?