MILWAUKEE — Gun violence devastated families across Milwaukee over the weekend, leaving two young fathers dead and several others injured in separate shootings.
A quintuple shooting on the city's North Side near Cheyenne and Darien on Saturday morning left 25-year-old Simeon Calvert dead and four others injured.
Fourteen hours later, 22-year-old Dylan Jackson was killed and two more people were injured in a triple shooting on Water Street on Sunday morning.
I spoke with the families of both men killed, who shared photos of Calvert and Jackson. Both of these men were young fathers.
I also met with two neighbors working to stop the violence, Monte Mabra and Andre Lee Ellis, who say the shooting must stop before more youth are forced to grow up without their fathers in our community.
Watch: Milwaukee men push for peace after two young fathers were killed in separate weekend shootings
Andre Lee Ellis is the founder and executive director of CAGE: Community Agriculture Growing Experience. He is no stranger to gun violence in Milwaukee.
"I can tell you every night I hear sirens and every night I hear gunshots," Ellis said.
Monte Mabra is the founder of the program "I will not die to gun violence." His brother was shot and killed back in December.
"He was shot 15 times by a guy that he had beef with," Mabra said.
Both men are now reacting to a violent weekend in Milwaukee.
"A child without a father has something that's missing and you can't replace it," Mabra said.
Both Ellis and Mabra are particularly heartbroken to hear that both Calvert and Jackson were young dads.
"My mother was pregnant with me for three months when my father died, so that has been traumatic for me all my life," Ellis said.
That reality is also one reason why Mabra started the program called "I will not die to gun violence."
He works with people who are referred to him, often by the court system or other agencies, in an attempt to interrupt gun violence.
"It talks about identity, survival, safety," Mabra said.
It's a mission close to him after the loss of his brother.
"In my heart, I wanted retaliation, I wanted revenge, I wanted a get back. This is my get back. By doing something that saves lives versus taking a life," Mabra said.
He says everyone, especially those raising kids, should look for ways to walk away from conflict without pulling a trigger.
"Your social conditioning tells you that if you have a gun, you're tough. But the truth is, if you don't have a gun, you think of resolution, if you don't have a gun, you talk your way out of situations," Mabra said.
His calls for resolution are echoed by Ellis.
"One thing that I do know about the younger generation, a lot of the young men that are having children, no matter what they're doing, they're trying to be good fathers," Ellis said.
Milwaukee police told TMJ4 News on Monday that they have a person of interest in custody in connection with the Water Street shooting, and more than one person of interest in custody in connection with the quintuple shooting, but that they continue to seek more information.
This story was reported on-air by Ryan Jenkins and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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