Teenager shot and killed on Milwaukee's northwest side, police say

A 15-year-old boy is dead after being shot on the city's northwest side, Milwaukee police say.

The teen was originally reported as in critical condition by police, but the department sent an update Tuesday evening announcing the boy's death. He was identified Wednesday as Tyler Brooks by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office.

According to police, the shooting took place Tuesday shortly after 7 p.m. in the 5500 block of North 92nd Street. Police do not have anyone in custody.

It comes within a week of another shooting that killed a 16-year-old, which occurred about two miles away from Tuesday's incident.

Ald. Mark Chambers, who represents the area of both shootings, said he was "angry and frustrated" by the events.

"As a community we need everyone to step up – especially parents and guardians – to help make sure our teens and youngsters are engaged in safe activities and that their whereabouts are known at all times," he said in a statement. "Teens’ access to guns must be eliminated by keeping all firearms locked up and unavailable at all times."

Month of May off to violent start

The shooting marks what is likely the 49th homicide of the year and ninth homicide of a child, according to the latest preliminary data from the Milwaukee Police Department.

That’s down from the 70 homicides Milwaukee saw through early May in 2022, although nonfatal shootings have continued at the same elevated pace since 2020.

The incident continues what has been a violent early start to the month of May after a quiet April, when police reported five homicides. That’s the lowest monthly total Milwaukee has seen since February 2021, according to the Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission.

Seven homicides have been reported in the city so far in May, according to preliminary reports from police and the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office.

Youth increasingly victimized by gun violence

The incident also marks the second time in less than a week that a teenager was killed in a shooting in Milwaukee. On May 5, Jeremiah Hutson, 16, was shot and killed on the 6600 block of West Villard Avenue.

It totals nine children killed in homicides so far in 2023, according to the latest data available from the Milwaukee Police Department. Eight were killed in shootings.

It continues a trend of more children being victimized by the city’s gun violence. From 2016 to 2019, no more than 10 children died by homicide in Milwaukee, but 20 or more have been killed in each of the three years since then, according to police and the city's Homicide Review Commission.

Twenty-seven child victims were reported in 2022, according to police.

Nationally, in 2020, firearm-related injuries surpassed motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of death for young people, defined as persons 1 to 19 years old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Criminologists and local officials have pointed toward a range of possible causes, including increased gun carrying, easy access to firearms and lingering effects of the pandemic, which may have had a larger impact on children.

Officials plan to expand youth mentorship program

In response to the increased violence towards children, a Milwaukee County official said Wednesday they are working on expanding access to a youth mentorship program that has shown early promise.

The county’s Credible Messenger Program debuted in 2021, which extended mentorship and a range of other family services to about 105 at-risk youth by December 2022.

Kelly Pethke, an administrator for the Milwaukee County Children, Youth & Family Services, said her department is working on expanding access to the program specifically to girls. It would result in an additional 16 spots for the program in 2023.

“The youth justice system historically focuses on boys and we want to be able to provide services intentionally targeting girls,” Pethke said.

In December 2022, the deputy director of the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services, David Muhammad, told a Milwaukee city committee that of the program’s 65 participants who had been involved with the justice system previously, 50 did not re-offend and also avoided being the victim of an assault or shooting.

Eleven others re-offended once and four re-offended twice, he said.

Participants also reported improvement in academics, personal relationships, life skills and economic stability, Muhammad said.

How to get help

More than 65% of children and teens in the juvenile justice system have a diagnosable mental health condition, according to national studies.

The Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services recommends anyone with concerns reach out to the Children’s Resource and Referral Line: 414-257-7607. The line offers a range of services for people between the ages of 5 and 23 with behavioral or mental health needs.

The county’s 24-hour crisis line is 414-257-7222.

How to contact police

Anyone with information about a homicide in Milwaukee is asked to contact police at 414-935-7360, or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-Tips, or by using the P3 Tips app.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Teenager shot and killed on Milwaukee's northwest side, police say