Calob House was walking home after an evening out celebrating his girlfriend’s birthday early on October 6, 2021, when a driver fleeing West Allis police struck and killed him near South 21st Street and West National Avenue in Milwaukee. Five years later, the car that hit him has never been recovered, and the driver has never been identified. Now, after sitting on inactive status, the investigation has reopened following a tip that came in October 2025.
According to TMJ4 News, the case had been placed on inactive status in January 2025 before the new tip prompted investigators to take another look. Police have not detailed what that tip contained. House’s father, Kevin House, called the long wait for answers both aggravating and heartbreaking, and said identifying the driver could help his son’s four children believe that accountability is still possible.
How the Chase Unfolded
The pursuit began when West Allis police tried to stop a driver for reckless driving near South 80th Street and National Avenue. The driver refused to stop, and the chase continued eastbound toward Milwaukee before the fleeing car struck Calob House near South 21st and National. House died at the scene. Officers ended the pursuit and rendered aid to him, but the driver escaped and has never been found, per the same TMJ4 account.
West Allis’s pursuit policy requires officers to weigh the seriousness of the offense, road conditions, pedestrian and vehicle traffic, and public-safety risks before continuing a chase. The policy’s requirements underscore the tension between catching fleeing drivers and protecting bystanders.
A Father, Carpenter, and Brewers Fan
Calob House was a finish carpenter who was saving money to eventually buy a home for his family, according to the TMJ4 report. He was raising four children, including a stepdaughter named Melanie, and never missed Milwaukee Brewers opening day. On the night he died, he’d chosen to leave his truck behind rather than drive after drinking at a birthday celebration — a decision that put him on foot on National Avenue when the fleeing car came through…