MILWAUKEE — It started as a routine drive home from work for single mom Katrina Mills on the afternoon of September 11. But that day ended with gunfire, a hospital stay, and a warning she hopes no other driver ever has to share.
Mills says she was heading home and detoured onto 60th Street at Silver Spring when another driver attempted to pass her on the right — illegally. She honked her horn. Suddenly, her world changed.
What followed was chilling: the same car followed her for about two miles, until both vehicles stopped at a red light on Fond du Lac Avenue. At that moment, Mills says the passenger in the other vehicle drew a gun and fired two shots. One bullet crashed through the window — the other struck her.
Surgeons later placed a metal rod in her arm; bullet fragments remain lodged inside, too dangerous to remove. Doctors told her it was only inches — mere inches — that kept her from dying that day.
Now, Mills is left unable to work and struggling with even the simplest daily activities. With her left arm, she can lift maybe two pounds — barely enough to carry groceries, much less care for herself. As a single mother of four, she says the bills are piling up. “Everything just came down crumbling for me,” she admitted.
Regret weighs heavily on her. “Yes, I do regret honking my horn,” she said softly, admitting she only did it in response — but knows now that something as small as a horn tap shouldn’t lead to this.
Despite what happened, Mills wants justice — and a warning to every driver. The Milwaukee Police Department says they know who they are looking for, but no one is in custody yet. The case is pending, and charges have been referred for a warrant.
Mills shares her story now not just for herself — but for her kids, for other parents, and for everyone who thinks a honk is harmless. “You don’t know what a person is capable of,” she says. “Over something so small — a spot in line — my life almost ended.”
