$1 million bond set for suspect in Middleton homicide

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The woman accused of killing a Middleton used car dealership employee did so while she was at the business to complain about issues with a vehicle she says started a day after she leased it, a criminal complaint alleges.

Jakira Anderson, 23, appeared in Dane County Circuit Court Wednesday, where her cash bond was set at $1 million. She must follow certain conditions if she posts bond, including not being allowed to be in the 3000 block of Parmenter Street in Middleton, not possessing any dangerous weapons, or contacting the family of the victim.

The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim Wednesday afternoon as 34-year-old Kawsu Samba. Family of Samba spoke about him in court, saying their community will never be the same without him and that they still fear for their lives as they grieve their loss. His wife, who is pregnant, said she is devastated by the loss. His family explained how he came to the U.S. from Gambia in 2011 to pursue his American dream.

In the complaint, an officer recounted arriving to the MSI Auto to find a person laying on the ground in the parking lot and two people kneeling by him.

An employee who worked at the business told a Middleton Police Department officer that the victim was “dealing with an angry customer” and heard him tell the woman to leave, according to the complaint. The employee then recalled hearing a gunshot and saw the victim run outside with the suspect following him. The employee told police that the suspect drove away.

A Madison Police Department officer told a Middleton officer that they had found the suspect vehicle and that Anderson was being driven back to Schroeder Road from Tree Lane by a family member. She later arrived to the area with her hands above her head and police took her into custody.

According to the complaint, Anderson told police that she was leasing a vehicle from MSI Auto and was having issues with it the next day. She went with MSI Auto Monday to try to get her money back or exchange the car. She told officers that she was talking to the bank who had the loan, but the victim would not listen. She contends that the victim was speaking loudly to her, told her to leave and started pushing her.

The complaint cites her saying that it was at this moment that she “just snapped” because of the confrontation. She explained that it was then that she used the gun, calling it a “defense weapon.” A detective asked her how many rounds she fired and she replied one, as well as that she hit him in the chest. A detective said that there was a bullet found by the victim and the suspect said that she thought the gun had jammed. The complaint states that she left the scene, called police and called her mother.

The complaint reports that Anderson told police she purchased the gun legally in September of 2022 and said she “hasn’t had a chance to register the firearm.”

A detective asked if she was aiming the gun when she shot the victim and Anderson allegedly said “it just happened” and she wasn’t trying to aim anywhere.

The suspect told police that she did not see a weapon on the victim, nor did he make any threats to hurt her.

Anderson is set to appear in court again for a preliminary hearing on March 30.

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