MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee mother is pleading for help after her 18-year-old son and his friends were shot at early Sunday morning, leaving one teen injured.
The shooting happened just after 2:25 a.m. Sunday near 49th and Capitol. The teens were followed after leaving a gas station near Sherman and Capitol, where they had stopped for snacks after midnight bowling.
The teen driver said they did not realize they were being watched. The teens did not want to be identified for their safety.
"We didn't notice that it was anybody watching us or anything. Then a gray van pulled in front of me and held us at gunpoint," the teen driver said.
The driver panicked, hit reverse, and crashed through a fence as gunfire erupted. The driver was not hit, but a teen passenger was shot twice and survived.
"He like, I'm hit. I'm hit. I'm hit. We just all surrounded him like trying to tell him that it's gonna be OK," the teen driver said.
Another passenger ducked for cover just moments before a bullet pierced the seat where she had been sitting.
Watch: Milwaukee mother pleads for help after her teenage son and his friends are shot at by unknown suspects
"They got guns, they got guns. And I just ducked. I was shaking. I was scared," a passenger said.
"It’s scary because like I could have got hit if I wasn’t fast enough," the teen passenger said.
Milwaukee Police confirmed that they are investigating a shooting that happened early Sunday morning, April 19, 2026, around 2:25 a.m. on the 4900 block of West Capitol Drive. They also confirmed an 18-year-old was shot and taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police say the suspect or suspects remain unknown.
Wakenda Qualman is the mother of one of the 18-year-old drivers. She said her son worked for a year to buy the car on his own.
"This kid saved up $5,000 on his own. He worked that hard," Qualman said.
Qualman is now facing a mother's worst fear and turning her pain into a warning.
"It could have been so much worse. It coulda been. I could have just lost my baby, my only son," Qualman said.
"What possesses you to shoot at them like that and attempt to kill them? I can’t wrap my head around it," Qualman said.
Police are searching for the suspects and urge anyone with information to come forward.
"Be on the lookout for unexpected danger in our community," Qualman said.
"We’re supposed to protect each other. What can we do to stop this from happening to us?" Qualman said.
"If you see them, just tell somebody. Don't be scared to speak out," the teen driver said.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Milwaukee Police at (414) 935-7360 or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at (414) 224-TIPS or through the P3 Tips app.
Qualman started a GoFund Me to help her son raise money for a new car.
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