Six teenagers were wounded by gunfire in Milwaukee Monday afternoon in an incident that occurred close to where the city's Juneteenth celebrations had just wrapped up.
Milwaukee police say the shootings took place in the 2900 block of N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The incident may have started after a fight between multiple females. Four young women and two males — all between the ages of 14 and 19 — were hit by gunfire. One of those wounded, a 17 year-old male, is in custody.
At a Monday evening news conference, Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman called for the city to pay more attention to children.
"Parents, guardians, elders, we need to engage and ensure that the violence our children are bringing to these streets, cease! No handguns, no weapons of destruction should be in the hands of our young ones. It's important that all of us do something," Norman said.
For Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson the best thing for some people to do is to stay away from densely populated events.
"If you are an adult or a young person who's got your hands on a gun, and you are ill-tempered, right? Don't come to stuff like this. Don't come! Get the help that you need. And we are more than willing to get you the help you need — to make the connection — to get the help you need. But, if you're going to fire a weapon off, if you are intent on causing death or harm or destruction, do not come. Because you don't have the right, to steal the joy that this community felt today," Johnson said at the news briefing.
Johnson says tens of thousands of people had peacefully celebrated Juneteenth Day prior to the shootings.
