Fatal shooting of teen is city’s 14th juvenile homicide this year
A 15-year-old boy was killed in a shooting on Milwaukee's northwest side early Tuesday, marking the 14th juvenile homicide victim this year, according to police reports.
The shooting marks the seventh homicide in a six-day period, bringing the city's total count to 109, according to police. That compares to 79 homicides as of the same date in both 2020 and 2021, two years in which Milwaukee set new homicide records.
Police offered almost no information on the circumstances behind the shooting that killed the 15-year-old or any of the other six homicides and nine nonfatal shootings since June 23.
The 15-year-old, identified by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office as Dechale N. Hampton, suffered fatal gunshot injuries around 3:45 a.m. Tuesday on the 9000 block of North 95th Street.
The area was the scene of another fatal shooting just two days earlier. Police were called to the 8800 block of North 95th Street at 1:20 p.m. Sunday, where 25-year-old Brian Colon was shot and killed after an argument, police said. A 68-year-old man was arrested in connection with the incident.
Sgt. Efrain Cornejo, a spokesperson for the department, said Tuesday the circumstances of the incidents are still under investigation but it appears they are not related.
Ald. Chantia Lewis, who represents the area, did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday morning.
Of the other homicides and nonfatal shootings reported since June 23, eight occurred on the city's north and northwest sides; three on the west side; and three on the south side, according to police. A location for one incident was not provided.
Victims in those incidents ranged in age from 16 — a boy injured in a shooting — to 64 — a fatal shooting of a woman on the 100 block of East Chambers Street on June 23. She has been identified as Roberta L. Haynes by the medical examiner's office.
Police said shooters were sought for all but one incident. Police arrested two people in connection with a shooting that injured a 42-year-old woman at 6 a.m. Tuesday on the 1900 block of South Winona Lane. A fight broke out between several people prior to the shooting, police said.
Nonfatal shootings are down 2% from last year but are up 55% compared to 2020, according to police.
Juveniles represent an increasing percentage of homicide victims
The death of the 15-year-old comes about two weeks after 14-year-old Tommorrow Brumfield was shot and killed in an apparent accident on Milwaukee's northwest side. She was supposed to graduate from the eighth grade at the Fifty-Third Street School the next day.
Prior to a local and nationwide surge in violence beginning in 2020, juveniles typically represented less than 10% of homicide victims in Milwaukee. They represented 14% of such victims in 2020, more than 10% in 2021 and more than 13% through May 2022, according to the Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission.
Police and other officials have focused on providing a range of resources toward preventing youth crime and victimization by promoting summer activities for young people, increased funding toward youth mentorship and enforcing the city's nightly curfew for juveniles.
Studies have shown, however, that curfew enforcement has little impact on youth crime and victimization.
In general, local officials and criminologists have tied the nationwide surge in violent crime to the wide-ranging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted school, work and social service outreach for millions of Americans.
Local officials have also cited the combination of poor conflict resolution skills and the accessibility of firearms as factors driving gun violence. Combined, officials have said more arguments between people are escalating to fatal violence.
The city's Office of Violence Prevention announced in May it would recruit and train at least 50 Milwaukeeans to distribute information for various resources, host block parties, hold food giveaways and mediate disagreements as part of a 12-week initiative over the summertime.
Gun sales hit record highs nationally in 2020. Sales also rose in Wisconsin the same year, but fell 10% in 2021, according to SafeHome.org. But 2021 sales in the state were still up 163% compared to 2002.
In Milwaukee, police have seen gun recoveries climb 25% from 2019 to 2021. So far in 2022, the number of guns recovered by police have increased 14% from a year ago, according to a recently released report from the Milwaukee Police Department.
According to researchers, many factors come into play with regard to youth violence. That includes family influences, poverty, chronic and traumatic stress and academic achievement, among others.