News of a four-year-old boy shot and killed comes a day after a man is convicted in the fatal shooting of five-year-old Laylah Petersen.
Taharia Green and her family are grieving the loss of Jordan Smith, who was shot inside a home on Milwaukee’s North side. Police are still investigating how it happened.
“Oh my god, pray for us, said Green, sister of the victim's mother. "Before you all judge her, please pray for her family."
Jordan is the latest young life, lost to gunfire in Milwaukee County, where more than 167 children have been killed since 1999.
That's according to the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, who reports that the rate of Wisconsin children killed by guns is climbing.
Milwaukee County had 44 child deaths from firearms per 100,000 children over a 16 year period.
The most recent deaths include 1 year-old Bill Thao, who was killed when drug dealers targeted the wrong house. A month earlier, in a similar situation, five-year-old Laylah Petersen was shot while sitting on her grandfather's lap. Less than six months ago, nine-year-old Zalayia Jenkins was shot and killed by a stray bullet. Just last week, a nine-year-old boy was shot by his six-year-old brother, who found a gun inside their home.
The Wisconsin council on children and families offers some solutions, like making sure all guns are stored safely away from children.
For more safety tips and to review the full report, visit their website.
