MILWAUKEE — Authorities charged two young men with first-degree reckless homicide after they allegedly shot and killed a 12-year-old girl in Milwaukee on Oct. 10.
At this time TMJ4 News is not naming either suspect because of their ages. According to a criminal complaint, a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old were charged with 1st Degree Reckless Homicide and 1st Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety - Party to a Crime. The charges bring a maximum of 72 years behind bars, if found guilty.
The homicide happened near 38th and Rohr. According to a criminal complaint, the 12-year-old girl's mother told investigators she saw two young males wearing masks and walking in an alley near their home.
As the two young men walked past their car, one suspect said “Can I get my face back" while the second suspect pulled down his mask, allowing her to see his face.
When the suspects were several houses away, the first suspect opened fire on the family, according to the complaint.
The father says he saw his daughter and wife fall to the ground. The suspects then ran away.
Authorities also charged a 17-year-old in the homicide. Online court records confirm the charges, but authorities have not released his criminal complaint.
During an interview with police, the 16-year-old defendant said he believed another man was going back into a house to get an AR-style rifle. He says he believed that man fired at the two suspects, who returned fire.
The girl's mother, a 46-year-old Milwaukee woman, was also injured. She is expected to survive.
The 12-year-old girl was transported to a local hospital, where she died from her injuries.
The 12-year-old girl's name is Olivia Schultz, according to a demographic report from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson released a statement, saying that the deadly shooting "should not have happened and is simply inexcusable."
TMJ4 News spoke to several neighbors and many did not want to go on camera due to safety concerns. They shared that hearing gunshots in the area is not uncommon. A father said it is hard to stomach that a young life was taken.
"It happens all the time," the father shared. "Just to find out there was a little girl killed bothers me because I have two little girls."
The father says things have gotten so bad that he decided to purchase a gun to ensure his family is protected.
"I wanna make sure I keep them safe leaving in and out the house," he said.
