MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee police say four children, ages 16 and younger, were shot in separate incidents in a span of 48 hours over the holiday weekend.
The latest shooting victim is a 16-year-old boy, whose family fears he may not make it. Kevin Simmons says his son Malik remains in a coma after being shot over a dispute about a counterfeit belt.
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,” Kevin said as he counted the bullet holes in the back of his home on Milwaukee’s northwest side. He says one of those bullets struck his son Malik shortly after midnight on the Fourth of July.
"We popped fireworks last night, me and my sons,” he said. “We were out here, we had fun, we had a nice cookout. We had a real good time and then to go to bed and wake up and somebody says Malik was shot is just unbelievable."
Kevin says Malik bought a belt from another teen Sunday and they got into an argument and then a fist fight about whether the belt was fake. Several hours later, Kevin says Malik was shot while standing in the doorway.
"I think it was a retaliation,” Kevin said. “They probably looked through the window and saw my son come to the door and as he come to the door, it looked like they started shooting because you can see it's angled shots."
Kevin says his son, who’s supposed to be a junior this fall at Vincent High School, is fighting for his life in the hospital.
"I just told my son ‘Stay strong, stay strong man. We're here praying for you, we want you to wake up’, but the doctors, they ain’t gave us any good news."
Additionally, Milwaukee police say two 15-year-olds were shot in separate incidents over the weekend that stemmed from arguments. Investigators say a three-year-old got a hold of a gun Saturday and unintentionally shot himself. Police say the toddler is now in critical condition.
Milwaukee police data shows 15 people, ages 18 and younger, have been killed in shootings this year. Another 73 people, ages 18 and younger, have been injured in non-fatal shootings.
"When I see news about kids being shot and harmed by gunfire, I think it's senseless, right?" Mayor Cavalier Johnson said.
Mayor Johnson says the city has a lot of work that needs to be done to address gun violence, especially when dozens of children are victims.
“When people see bad things happening in their neighborhood, I want them to feel empowered,” he said. “I want them to feel empowered to call the authorities so we can put an end to the bad things that are happening."
