At least 11 teenagers shot in Milwaukee in last 2 weeks

A 12-year-old boy was killed with a gunshot in Milwaukee. On the same day, a 17-year-old boy was shot to death in his own living room.

Both attacks occurred on Oct. 26 and were part of a wave of gun violence against residents 21 and under in the city. Milwaukee police report a total of nine people have been shot and injured since Oct. 14; these account for 10 of the 26 shootings, along with five homicides across all ages.

“It definitely feels like a lot, and it’s surprising,” said Ashanti Hamilton, director of the city’s Office of Community Health and Safety. “We are seeing an increase in youth-involved shootings due to school openings and all the social media interactions.”

The shootings come at a surprising time for authorities, as violent crime generally begins to decline after the summer and remains on the decline despite recent shootings. Milwaukee officials have largely said they are horrified by the shootings and say it speaks to the dynamic of tensions among young people through social media, with accessible guns bringing higher dangers in those situations.

The mothers of the two dead teenagers — 12-year-old Marquell Newburn and 17-year-old Monte Edmond — could not be reached for comment by the Journal Sentinel. In the Newburn case, Milwaukee police said they took a 15-year-old boy into custody on Saturday.

Edmond’s death was initially reported as a homicide, and police detained a 26-year-old man. But a police spokesman said Thursday that the attack was determined to be in self-defense and was no longer reflected in police attack data.

Alderman Russell Stamper II, whose district Newburn died, urged parents to take more responsibility in their children’s lives and know where they spend their time.

“We try to provide as many resources as possible to our youth, and I think all the focus needs to be on the youth and connecting them with mentors and their parents,” he said. “Of course, there are a lot of guns on the street. I like to work within our own parameters, local resources and mentoring groups.”

Hamilton said some shootings last week and throughout the year were the result of hostilities fueled by social media, with things like further intimidation of victims’ family members leading to violent reactions.

This is striking because crimes are decreasing. Since peaking in 2022 He said during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, crime continued that trend, declining every quarter in most violence categories.

Comprehensive, police data It shows that non-fatal shootings are down 23% compared to last year, and homicides are down 22% regardless of age range.

In early October, officials reported that a class of crimes known as Part 1 crimes, which include murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and vehicle theft, were down 4% in the same period from the previous year.

But crime still remains above pre-pandemic levels. Murders in Milwaukee before the pandemic Decreased for three consecutive years In 2018, this number reached 101. As of October 30, there have been 113 homicides in Milwaukee.

“I would say we’ve seen some steady declines over the last two years, but one of the problems is we’re seeing more egregious things,” Hamilton said. “Things that tend to go beyond just reactionary anger. Instead, the level of trauma that causes is actually something we really want to prevent. “That’s the challenge we face right now.”

Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said fights and tension on social media are not new to Milwaukee. But access to guns creates situations where those fights turn violent, he said.

Young people in the city are gaining access to guns through negligent owners, he said, whether it’s parents who don’t keep guns at home or thefts committed by someone who sees a gun in a car parked on the street.

“These young people aren’t going to your local store to buy a firearm. There’s a lot of neglect,” Norman said.

Councilwoman Sharlen Moore agreed that the recent number of shootings is striking. The recent announcement of a new gun violence prevention initiative by Milwaukee County is one way to address gun violence in the city, he said.

This program, called Forward Peace, An 18-month scholarship It’s a program that includes things like creating a life plan, meeting three times a day with mentors with similar life experiences, and offers a monthly stipend for consistent participants. The program is for people ages 14 to 24 who experience or are affected by gun violence. Officials said that the application was successful in other cities as well.

In recent months, other funds have been awarded to other programs to assist with anti-proliferation efforts.

In October, Project Ujima, a program at Wisconsin Children’s that connects youth victims of shootings with services to help them heal physically and mentally. Received $100,000 in grant funding From Everytown Community Safety Fund. The safety fund is a national initiative that helps fund community-based violence intervention organizations working on the front lines of the gun violence epidemic in the United States.

“When we talk about gun violence in the city, we absolutely need targeted strategies,” Moore said. “There needs to be a multi-level tactic on how we address gun violence, especially among youth.”

Norman said it’s important to teach teens better conflict resolution skills to avoid this in the future.

“My answer with any of our crime numbers has always been one too many,” the city’s top cop said. “I’m not looking at this from above or below, I’m looking at how we can change.”

Where to find free gun locks?

All Milwaukee Fire Stations and health centers operated by the Milwaukee Health Department are also distributing free gun locks. Directories for: fire stations And health centers available online

Milwaukee United Neighborhood Center1609 W. Northern Boulevard.

City on a Hill2224 W. Kilbourn Ave., on the second Saturday of each month during outreach events.

Milwaukee Christian Center807 S. 14th St. at the food pantry, open Monday through Thursday from 1 to 3 p.m.

Milwaukee Neighborhood House2819 W. Richardson Place.

Neu-Life Community Development2014 W. Northern Boulevard.

Silver Spring Neighborhood Center5460 N 64th Ave.

COA Youth and Family Centers909 E. Garfield Ave. and 2320 W. Burleigh St.

Northcott Neighborhood House2460 N. Sixth Ave.

Journey House2110 W. Scott St.

David Clarey can be reached at [email protected].

This article first appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: ‘One too many’: At least 11 teenagers shot in Milwaukee in 2 weeks