47-year-old man arrested after 8-year-old girl killed in what Milwaukee police are investigating as a homicide
An 8-year-old girl was killed Saturday afternoon and a 47-year-old Milwaukee man has been arrested in what Milwaukee police are investigating as a homicide.
The incident occurred in the 1800 block of West Highland Avenue.
The suspect was handling a firearm that discharged, according to a police news release. The gunfire struck the girl, who was taken to a hospital and died.
The victim was identified Monday by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office as Tiana Huddleston.
Marquette University police joined Milwaukee police in responding to the incident. The university is several blocks south of where it occurred.
Late Saturday afternoon, evidence markers could be seen at the back porch of a residence and on West Highland Avenue. A group of about 10 people stood near the scene, consoling a woman overcome with emotion.
“The death of an 8-year old Milwaukee girl this afternoon is heartbreaking," Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said in a statement. "Mistaken gunfire has extinguished another innocent life. I offer my condolences to her family."
Criminal charges will be referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office in the upcoming days, the police release said. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday, according to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office.
“Please, put down the guns," the mayor said. "If you have a gun in your home, secure it with a trigger lock or in a safe. Never, never handle a gun near children.”
Contact Drake Bentley at (414) 391-5647 or DBentley1@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DrakeBentleyMJS.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee police arrest 47-year-old man after death of 8-year-old girl
