MILWAUKEE — Community leaders are calling for more violence prevention efforts after a shooting Saturday morning left one person dead and four others injured on Milwaukee’s north side.
Milwaukee police said the shooting happened around 11:05 a.m. near N. 37th Street and W. Good Hope Road and is believed to have started as an argument.
Watch: Why leaders in Milwaukee are calling for more to be done to prevent violence after a quintuple shooting killed one and injured four others on Saturday.
Five people were shot.
A 25-year-old died at the hospital.
The other four victims — ages 20, 21, and two 29-year-olds — survived with non-fatal injuries.
For longtime community activist Shawn Moore, the shooting was another painful reminder of the violence he has spent years trying to prevent.
“We’ve got to get back to prevention,” Moore said. “We’ve got to get there before the argument ends, try to be there before it ever begins.”
Moore said his work is personal. He lost a 16-year-old nephew to gun violence in 2013 and another nephew years later. Since then, he said he has attended countless funerals and vigils.
“We’re not seeing one person shot anymore, we’re seeing four or five at a time,” Moore said.
Now, he is developing what he calls the Cerebral Command Network, an anonymous reporting app designed to alert outreach workers to potential conflicts before they escalate into violence. The goal, he said, is intervention before shots are fired.
“We can’t wait until after gunshots,” Moore said, adding that prevention means getting involved before arguments escalate.
City officials say that prevention is also a major focus for the Milwaukee Department of Community Wellness and Safety, especially as the summer months approach, when violence historically increases.
Julien Phifer with the department said violence often follows predictable patterns and prevention must happen at multiple levels, including education, outreach and intervention with people most at risk.
Phifer said the city is working with community organizations through summer programming and outreach efforts aimed at connecting people with resources and support before violence occurs.
Their next event, focused on conflict resolution, is on Thursday, March 26, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center.
He also said state support is important for long-term solutions.
“Everyone has skin in the game,” Phifer said. “There’s a role and part for all of us.”
Moore agreed, saying that preventing violence will take both community members and city programs working together.
“There’s a city full of us,” he said.
For more information on the app, Moore can be reached directly at 414-865-6774.
As police continue to search for whoever was responsible for Saturday’s shooting, community leaders say the focus now is on preventing the next one.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Milwaukee Police or Crime Stoppers to provide anonymous tips.
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