MILWAUKEE — Three children under the age of five were shot in the City of Milwaukee within three days this week.
On Monday, a five-year-old Milwaukee girl was shot near 85th and Greenbrook. A 36-year-old man was taken into custody. The following day, another five-year-old girl was injured in a shooting near 41st and Wright. On Wednesday, a three-year-old girl fell victim to a shooting near 65th and Villard. Police arrested a 29-year-old Milwaukee woman and are still seeking a 32-year-old man.
All three girls are expected to survive.
It's a trend the city continues to see among young people. On Thursday, Ashanti Hamilton, the director of Milwaukee's Office of Violence Prevention (OVP), attended the 15th annual Walk for Wellness at Kadish Park. Nearly 700 kids attended the event, which was aimed at improving the physical and mental wellness of the city's youth.
Hamilton was asked by the media how the city plans to respond to the shootings.
"One of the things is we're trying to make it very accessible to get the resources they need," he said.
He shared that this weekend, OVP will bring gun safety training directly to neighborhoods where they see these crimes happen among young people.
"Most of what we've seen is carelessness around the handling of firearms," Hamilton shared. "That's the type of thing that is extremely preventable and it's uncalled for and if people just took some responsible steps, completely avoidable."
For more information on OVP and the steps they are taking to reduce violence in the city, visit city.milwaukee.gov.
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Anyone with any information on the above shootings is asked to contact Milwaukee Police at (414) 935-7360, or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at (414)224-Tips/ or P3 Tips.
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