A Wisconsin special education teacher lost his life following what appears to have been a random and unprovoked attack while waiting at a bus stop.
Daylan Mallard, 22, has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide in connection with the death of 56-year-old Harry Odele Bruce, a special education teacher employed by Milwaukee Public Schools. According to a criminal complaint reviewed by Law&Crime, witnesses reported to police that on the evening of November 5, they discovered Bruce on the ground near a bus stop, allegedly being attacked by a younger man who was subsequently identified as Mallard. The complaint indicates that several individuals who had just exited a nearby bus witnessed the final moments of the attack and attempted to assist Bruce.
Mallard was found at the scene wearing nothing but his underwear and socks, with blood-stained clothing lying on the ground nearby, according to the complaint.
Police reported that an officer and members of the fire department administered CPR on Bruce, who was observed with “blood coming from his mouth and nose.” The complaint further noted that the lanyard around his neck was also covered in blood. Bruce was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mallard was subsequently taken into custody after police observed him “pacing” in the surrounding area.
An autopsy concluded that Bruce died as a result of strangulation and multiple blunt-force injuries to the head and neck. He had sustained several contusions to his face and head, as well as “fractures of the distal cervical spine.”
Police interviewed multiple witnesses, including a woman who attempted to intervene after stepping off the bus and observing Mallard holding Bruce in a “headlock” while “punching him in the head approximately 20 to 30 times.” She described to police how Mallard was “bashing that man” and “beating him into the dirt.” According to the complaint, Mallard reportedly told the woman, “I’m gonna come after you too, once I’m done with him.” When she informed Mallard that she was calling 911, he responded, “I’m coming for you too.”
The same witness further reported that she observed Mallard “drag” Bruce by the lanyard around his neck. She also relayed to police that another bystander stated, “That old man was just waiting at the bus stop and this man walked up to him and charged him for no reason.”
According to the complaint, three men who were dining at a nearby restaurant were alerted by another woman who entered and said, “So, y’all just gone stand there and let him kill him?” The men told police they followed the woman outside and witnessed Mallard strangling Bruce with his lanyard. One of the three men was able to physically remove Mallard’s hands from the lanyard, after which Mallard eventually released Bruce. Another of the three men then began performing CPR on Bruce until first responders arrived on the scene.
A local ABC affiliate, WISN, spoke with a 9-year-old girl who had been present with her father when the alleged attack on Bruce occurred. The station withheld the child’s identity. The young girl recounted that “the guy was on top of the other guy, and then he was … beating him and [kept] doing it.”
Police confirmed that security footage captured a portion of the attack on Bruce.
Bruce had served as a special education teacher at Roosevelt Middle School of the Arts for 13 years and was also known as a dedicated mentor, coach, and minister within his community. A local Fox affiliate, WITI, spoke with several of Bruce’s family members and colleagues, who expressed their belief that Bruce had been “attempting to help a woman who was reportedly being assaulted when he was attacked.”
Mallard remains in custody at the Milwaukee County Jail on a $250,000 cash bond, with his next court date scheduled for November 18.
Leave a Reply