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Police seek motive in Darien shooting

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Brandon Knowles

ELKHORN — Nearly two months after an April drive-by shooting in Darien Township, officials say they have yet to determine a motive for the incident.

Brandon M. Knowles, 18, Ocean City, N.J., is charged with endangering safety by reckless use of a firearm, discharging a firearm from a vehicle and second-degree reckless endangerment.

Assistant District Attorney Zeke Wiedenfeld said the investigation continues, and officials have not determined a motive for the shooting.

Wiedenfeld declined to say what connection Knowles has to the area. Jail staff said Knowles listed an uncle in Philadelphia as his emergency contact person.

According to the criminal complaint:

City of Delavan police responded April 28 to a residence on County W in Darien Township for a report of a drive-by shooting. The resident of the house said she saw from a second-story window a maroon vehicle pull in front of the house around 2 a.m. and a person in the vehicle fire four shots.

Deputies later found three bullet holes in the side of the home facing County X. A fourth bullet was recovered from above the window where the resident had been watching.

Delavan police later stopped a maroon vehicle in Delavan and found a loaded and cocked handgun under Knowles’ seat. The State Crime Lab later confirmed that the handgun matches the bullets that struck the house on County X.

Authorities recorded Knowles phone conversations while he was in the Walworth County Jail. In one conversation, Knowles is heard saying, “The bullets they found in the house match the gun,” and, “They’re going to do a lineup, have the person choose who had the gun, and that person is going to be me.”

Knowles is expected in court for a status conference July 22. He remains locked in jail on a $50,000 bond.

If convicted, he faces more than 32 years in prison.