MILWAUKEE — A 15-year-old Milwaukee teen was killed in a shooting near 95th and Brown Deer Tuesday morning, police say.
DeChale Hampton, 15, is dead before he ever had a chance to grow up. Family says he attended Riverside High School and loved playing basketball.
He was shot and killed just steps from his home around 345 a.m. Milwaukee police are still piecing together what happened and have no one in custody for this crime.
“This neighborhood can be very dangerous at that time,” said Roy Niedfeldt, a local pastor who has lived and worked in the area for 10 years. “My goal is to build relationships with the kids and teenagers and be a positive influence out here. I wish more people would take on the mentality of getting more involved in kids' lives, and in neighbor’s lives.”
Niedfeldt recognized a photo of Hampton.
“I’m pretty sure we played basketball a few times,” he said. “It is so sad. Fifteen is so young.”
Niedfeldt says the neighborhood is suffering.
“It felt like things were starting to improve, but this year has been a huge downturn,” he said. “It’s not healthy what’s happening in our city.”
This past Sunday afternoon, on the same street, just a few blocks away, 25-year-old Brian Colon was shot and killed. Milwaukee police say the two shootings are not connected. A 68-year-old Milwaukee man is arrested in connection to Colon’s homicide.
“This is getting out of hand,” said a young man in the area who stopped to talk with TMJ4 on his way to work. “There are a lot of kids in this neighborhood and a lot of shootings. Anybody could get hit. We do not want this at all. As a Black kid, I know it is hard. You must stay focused. Get a job, get off the streets. Put the guns down. It is not worth it.”
Milwaukee police said they are seeking unknown suspects. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Milwaukee Police at (414) 935-7360, or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at (414) 224-Tips or P3 Tips App.
