Savannah man charged with felony murder after shooting victim dies weeks later from injuries

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A Savannah man accused of shooting a neighbor following a street argument has been bound over to a Chatham County grand jury on felony murder and related charges after a judge found probable cause at a preliminary hearing.

Juan Ulmer appeared remotely from the Chatham County Detention Center during the hearing in Chatham County Recorder’s Court before Chief Judge Joe Huffman.

The shooting

Savannah Police Department Homicide Corporal Bradley Carles testified that on April 3rd at approximately 7 p.m., officers responded to a call for an injured person and gunfire in the area of Carter and Chambers streets.

Officers arrived to find the victim, 59-year-old Kevin Milton, with a severe and life-threatening gunshot wound to the head. He was transported to Memorial Hospital.

Investigators obtained a search warrant for 820 Carter St. right around the corner.

At that location, detectives recovered one .380 auto shell casing on Chambers Street near where Milton was found, 16 fresh 5.56 millimeter shell casings in the backyard, one live 5.56 round inside the residence, and a Radical Arms RF-15 multi-caliber rifle in a recycling container outside the home.

Det. Carls testified the rifle is capable of firing those 5.56 rounds.

Ulmer’s statement and arrest

Ulmer was taken into custody April 7 on separate drug trafficking charges. Det. Carls said he interviewed Ulmer after advising him of his constitutional rights and that Ulmer agreed to speak with him.

“He did tell me that he was at the house at 820 Carter Street,” Carls said. “He did tell me that he did use the firearm, the rifle, to shoot Mr. Milton and that he dropped the rifle near the house and wasn’t sure how it ended up in the trash can.”

According to Det. Carls, Ulmer stated he and Milton had a verbal argument earlier that day at a store on Gwinnett Street, one block from Carter Street.

When Ulmer returned to his girlfriend’s house on Carter St. and Milton walked by, a second argument broke out, which Carls said led to Ulmer going inside to retrieve the rifle.

Det. Carls said Ulmer alleges Milton was armed and had fired at him before Ulmer retrieved the rifle. However, Det. Carls testified that account was not corroborated by physical evidence or witnesses.

“None of the witnesses stated that Mr. Milton had gone into the yard at all,” Carls said. “In fact, Mr. Milton was going away when Mr. Ulmer had come out of the house with the firearm.”

Det. Carls testified that other witnesses did confirm Milton was armed, but said Milton pulled his firearm after Ulmer had already come out of the house with the rifle.

Carls said other parts of Ulmer’s account were “mostly not substantiated by the evidence on scene and/or by other witnesses.”

Milton’s death and additional charges

Milton was treated at Memorial Hospital, where Carls testified he suffered severe head and brain injuries.

“He was unable to move his body at all. He was unable to open his eyes for a few weeks. He was eventually stabilized to a point after about a month to where he was able to be moved to another long-term facility. Unfortunately, he was not able to, he was never able to be able to move or anything like that,” said Det. Carles in the courtroom.

After approximately a month, Milton was stabilized and transferred to a long-term care facility in Tifton, Georgia. A week later, he went into respiratory distress there, and passed away.

Det. Carls said he attended the autopsy after Milton’s body was returned to Chatham County.

The medical examiner’s preliminary finding listed the cause of death as complications from the gunshot wound and manner of death as homicide.

You can view Milton’s obituary here.

“Kevin lived a life that touched many people around him. He was known for being kind and gentle. The places where he was born and where he died were important parts of his story.

All who knew Kevin will remember him as someone who cared and shared moments with others. His passing marks the end of a life that mattered to those around him."

According to Milton's obituary

Evidence and investigation status

Carls testified the rifle, shell casings, and Ulmer’s DNA — obtained via search warrant — have been submitted to the GBI for testing. Preliminary ballistic analysis indicated the 16 shell casings recovered from the backyard matched the rifle found in the recycling container.

There was no video of the shooting. Carls said the area does not have ShotSpotter coverage.

Det. Carls confirmed the suspect, Ulmer, is a convicted felon. Based on those findings, police obtained warrants for felony murder, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, possession of a firearm during the commission of certain felonies, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Carls testified no other individuals are expected to be charged in connection with the felony murder. He said the investigation remains open pending GBI lab results.

Ruling

Chief Judge Huffman found probable cause on all charges and bound the case to the Chatham County Grand Jury for consideration of further prosecution. Huffman told Ulmer that only Superior Court can consider bond.