MIDDLETON (WKOW) — We now know the victim in Monday’s shooting in Middleton was 34-year-old Kawsu Samba. Family and friends say it will be a hard grieving process, but Samba deserves to be remembered for the friendly and dedicated man he was.
Former teammates of Samba’s at UW-Parkside say Samba’s infectious smile will always be the first thing to come to mind.
“Every time you walked past him, the only thing you can remember is the giant smile he had on his face,” Collin Monahan, former UW-Parkside soccer player, said. “That’s drilled into my mind. When I heard the news, the first thing I saw was this big smile.”
Monahan was one of the only teammates who had off-campus housing, so as Samba was making the transition to campus, they lived together. They were teammates for a few years and then Monahan coached Samba.
“Every single one of us had the same words come out of our mouth,” Monahan said when he and his teammates heard about Samba’s death. “He…was the most genuine person you could have ever met. The guy surrounded himself with nothing but positivity and love. ”
Issam Ismaili is the player who brought Samba to Parkside. They had played outside of school and met a few times at their mosque. Ismaili knew Samba would be a great addition to the Parkside team.
“Everything that came out of Kawsu was only kind and really generous. A very respectful young man,” Ismaili said.
Ismaili says it’s shocking to hear a young, generous man working to build a life for his family is
