MILWUAKEE — In the blink of an eye, a vigil held Monday night for a 16-year-old boy who was killed that same day ended in mayhem after police say five people were shot during the ceremony.
"It's just got to stop. It just has to stop," said Milwaukee Common Council President, Cavalier Johnson.
"I was hearing that there were a lot of children present, children, young adults, but also many elders," said 414-Life director, Derrick Rogers.
In total, a 64-year-old man, two 15-year-old girls, a 30-year-old man, and a 35-year-old man were shot. All are expected to survive. At the vigil site on Tuesday, there were balloons and candles. And once again, officials are calling on the community to stop the violence.
"Just imagine how you would feel if someone were to commit some act of violence against somebody that you care about. Your mother, your father, your aunt, your uncle. Violence is never the answer. It really isn't," said Johnson.
Some community leaders say they're starting to see young people become more involved in violent incidents in the city. Leaders feel something has to be done.
"I think we're seeing an uptick, a greater amount of violence, amongst a much younger population of individuals. A lot of it comes back to appropriate outlets, for some of the frustration and the anxiety that they are feeling. The outlets just aren't there," said Rogers.
Meanwhile, city leaders are saying that changes need to be made from the inside out.
"Some of the major things that we need to do in order to stop the violence is to stabilize our neighborhoods. That's housing, that's making sure that folks have access to family-supporting jobs so that there can be stability in the home, which means stability for the kids, which spills out into the streets," said Rogers.
They add that without these changes, the violence will just continue.
"With all of these conditions, you're talking about an almost imperfect perfect storm," said Rogers.
As for the shooting, police say they're still searching for unknown suspects, and are asking anyone from the community with information regarding the incident to come forward.
