CRIME

Latest Milwaukee gun violence: Shooting leaves 2 dead, marks 14th homicide in 15 days

Ashley Luthern

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Two men were killed in a shooting Wednesday afternoon in Milwaukee, becoming the city's 13th and 14th homicide victims in 15 days.

Police responded to a report of gunfire about 2:50 p.m. on West Center Street, near North 6th Street.

Officers found two men dead at the scene, police said. They were later identified as brothers Antonio D. Singleton, 40, and Justin K. Singleton, 29.

A woman who identified herself as the sister of the victims told WITI-TV that the shooting was "violence that’s very unnecessary."

Police believe the shooting stems from an argument and are seeking witnesses, according to a news release.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at (414) 935-7360.

The shooting was the latest in a spike of shootings and homicides in Milwaukee in recent days.

Last August, 14 homicides were reported in the city. In August 2016, there were 23 homicides — nearly double the 12 homicides seen in August 2015.

Mayor Tom Barrett said Police Chief Alfonso Morales and his command staff have shared with him plans for a strategic and deliberate approach to direct focused resources on areas in the city experiencing the most violence.

The Police Department also will have a focus on "wanted subjects" and continue to work closely with federal law enforcement partners, Barrett said Wednesday.

“Clearly this is not only on the front burner, but something Chief Morales and his team are working very proactively to address," Barrett said.

So far this year, Milwaukee's per-capita homicide rate of 11.6 per 100,000 people tracks closely with Chicago's rate of 11.7 per 100,000 people, according to Ald. Bob Donovan, who was citing the city's Legislative Reference Bureau.

Donovan, chairman of the Common Council's Public Safety and Health Committee, bashed recent news conferences by Barrett and other community members calling for an end to the violence.

Last week, Barrett said everyone had a part to play in keeping Milwaukee safe and urged people to put down their guns.

Donovan said the mayor's pleas were "laughable — just ask the bad guys perpetrating all of the crimes."

"The reality is these problems aren’t going to be meaningfully addressed by words, fluff or more rhetoric," Donovan said in a news release Wednesday.

Donovan urged Barrett to take action on a 2016 Common Council report on public safety that called for dramatic increases in law enforcement personnel, more time behind bars for offenders and so-called boot camps for at-risk youths.

Barrett said Donovan's safety plan had been "torpedoed" by his council colleagues and had not been mentioned since it was first published two years ago.

Donovan, a longtime south side alderman who has run unsuccessfully against Barrett, also criticized the city's Office of Violence Prevention for focusing on dispute resolution, saying Good Samaritan citizens who intervene "might just end up with a bullet themselves."

Milwaukee police have said arguments and disputes have been at the root of most of the recent violence.

The Office of Violence Prevention is expected to soon launch its long-awaited violence interruption program, called Ceasefire, as part of its wider Blueprint for Peace.

The office is convening a Community Safety Strategy Session for Wednesday evening to focus on community-led efforts to reduce shootings and homicides for the remainder of the summer. The event session was scheduled before the most recent double homicide.

Barrett said he believes the city needs both law enforcement and violence prevention to curb the violence.

"I think we’re attacking this on every front," he said.

Homicide updates

Milwaukee police released several updates in earlier homicide investigations Wednesday:

Officers have arrested a 30-year-old man in the death of Willie L. Williams Jr., who was shot and killed Aug. 6 in the 2600 block of North 5th Street.
Police also have arrested a suspect, a 34-year-old man, in the fatal shooting of Tyler D. Evans. The 18-year-old was fatally shot on West Townsend Street on Aug. 7.
Detectives are seeking a known suspect in the double homicide on Aug. 6 at the Holton Bridge Swing Park. That shooting began as an argument between two groups, police have said.

The Police Department also identified recent victims of deadly violence in the city:

Robert D. Taylor, 41, was shot and killed Aug. 9 in the 2600 block of West Capitol Drive.
Brian L. Bell, 22, was discovered dead of a gunshot wound about 2 a.m. Sunday in the 7600 block of West Melvina Street.
Shawntell D. Wiley, 20, was shot and killed Sunday in the 3100 block of North 20th Street.
Eric D. Williams, 27, was fatally shot about 8:20 p.m. Sunday on West Burleigh Street near North 10th Street.

All those homicides remain under investigation and police are searching for suspects, officials said Wednesday. Detectives are searching for a known suspect in the killing of Wiley, police said.

Journal Sentinel reporter Meg Jones contributed to this article.