MILWAUKEE — Another Milwaukee child robbed of the chance to grow up. Four children have been impacted by gun violence across our city, in just three days.
The latest, five year Elijo Gonzalez. Police say he was killed after he found a gun and accidentally shot himself on the city's south side. Two men were arrested for leaving a firearm unattended.
On Sunday, Jamarri Paige was shot and killed while sitting at his kitchen table.
On Monday, two teen girls were shot and injured.
So far this year, four people under the age of 17 have been killed by a firearm. That's up from three at this time last year. There have been 19 children injured by firearms, up from 13 in 2022.
Milwaukee's Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) Director, Ashanti Hamilton believes this latest tragedy could have been prevented.
"It's been a very tough week for Milwaukee," Hamilton said. "Make sure you're storing guns safely so people don't have access to them."
City leaders are urging residents to use gun locks to keep their families safe, but that's not the only resource that will be available soon.
"People who are carrying firearms will have access to training on how to use those firearms," Hamilton stated.
The training will take place in areas designated as 'Promise Zones'. Within the promise zones are hot spots shaded in red those are neighborhoods with higher rates of violence.
Hamilton said the reason behind these places is to get people trained without asking questions. Residents will also be able to share information that can interrupt violence from occurring at these places.
"If that catches on in our community we can have a huge impact," Hamilton said.
He hopes these places will be up and running before summer begins.
