MILWAUKEE — So far in 2022, nearly 200 children have been injured or killed by gun violence in the City of Milwaukee.
"All we have is pictures and memories," said Dominique Hampton.
Dominique lost her 15-year-old son DeChale Hampton earlier this year in a shooting near 95th and Brown Deer.
Life stopped for Dominique after that June day. She spoke to us off camera not far from where her son was killed.
"It's been hard for me and my kids to go on," she said.
That pain she feels is shared with families across Milwaukee.
So far this year, 17 children have been killed in a firearm-related homicide, according to the Milwaukee Police Department.
"Since 2020, gun violence is the leading cause of death of children in the country and Milwaukee," said Reggie Moore, Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) Director of Violence Prevention.
Moore believes in a comprehensive approach to combating the violence.
"The gun violence catches our attention but the pain that leads to the gun violence is happening far long before that shot is fired, and that's where we want to invest," Moore said. "Young people deserve better."
This December, Moore says $10.4 million will go to communities across the state to keep neighborhoods safe. The funding was used to establish the first statewide violence prevention fund administered by the Division of Violence Prevention at the Comprehensive Injury Center at MCW.
The Governor allocated a separate $8.4 million directly to the City of Milwaukee for violence prevention programming in Milwaukee administered by the city’s Office of Violence Prevention.
"We have to do more on the prevention side so that no family has to experience that level of pain and trauma," Moore said. "Get these kids out of the streets. Take away these guns, we don't need them," Dominique added.
For both Moore and Dominique, ensuring children live a long and prosperous life is key to safer communities.
