MILWAUKEE — Officials in Milwaukee are saying enough is enough after a 21-year-old woman and a 66-year-old man were killed Sunday night in a crash that police say was a result of drag racing.
"These people murdered people, they murdered people and they have to be treated like that," said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.
"I looked over there and I saw it. And it's bad enough that it was on a bridge, but it was bad," said one witness, Janarro Bradley.
According to law enforcement officials, around 7 p.m., two cars were drag racing and running red lights when one of the racing cars hit the victim's car near North 76th Street and Silver Spring Drive, killing both occupants. Milwaukee police say two suspects accused of racing the cars have been arrested. The driver of the striking vehicle is a 24-year-old male, and the driver of the other vehicle that was racing is a 26-year-old male.
The medical examiner identified one of the victims in the crash as Danielle Jefferson, 21. The identity of the other victim was not released Tuesday pending notification of family.
It's the second deadly racing-related crash to happen in just one week. And now community leaders are demanding something be done to combat reckless driving in the area.
"We've got to send a clear message that we're not going to tolerate reckless driving here in Milwaukee County," said Sheriff Earnell Lucas of the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department.
"We're tired, and we want stiffer penalties," said community advocate Tracey Dent.
District 2 Alderman and Common Council President, Cavalier Johnson, says that updating the city's road infrastructure is critical in order to mitigate reckless driving.
"Let's not have these raceways, these straight runways where folks feel like they can drive 130 miles down the street," said Alderman Johnson.
However, Mayor Tom Barrett says the council needs to approve his Stronger Summer Plan, which would allocate $6 million to go directly to reckless driving prevention efforts.
"I've got dollars in that package for police overtime so we can have more police out there," said Mayor Barrett.
"It's not as if the council acting earlier would've stopped this accident from happening," said Alderman Johnson.
City leaders add that whatever the case may be, something has to be done to address reckless driving and it has to be done now in order to save lives.
"It's time to start taking our streets back," said Dent.
"I think we really have to make sure that they are charged and they are sent to prison. Without a doubt, they have to go to prison," said Mayor Barrett.
