2 teens killed in separate shootings in Milwaukee, as number of young victims rises
Two teenage boys were among those killed in five separate fatal shootings over the weekend, continuing a trend of more children becoming victims of Milwaukee’s historic gun violence.
In the four years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, children accounted for 7% to 8% of homicide victims annually, according to the Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission. That number has stood between 11% and 14% each year since 2020.
Twenty-four children have died in homicides this year, according to the Milwaukee Police Department.
The five homicides from this weekend were reported on the city’s north, northwest and near-south sides. Police did not provide details on the circumstances behind any of the killings and said they are seeking unknown suspects.
According to police and the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office:
The first shooting occurred at 12:51 a.m. Saturday on the 4100 block of West Burleigh Street. The victim was identified as 27-year-old Fredrick D. Franklin.
At 9:31 p.m., 16-year-old Chavez C. Collins Jr., was fatally shot on the 1600 block of South 13th Street. His grandmother told WISN-TV (Channel 12) the shooting occurred after he left a basketball game at South Division High School.
At 10 a.m. Sunday, 36-year-old Nyeshia J. Liggins was shot and killed on the 8600 block of North 107th Street outside of a gas station. In a follow-up news release on Tuesday, police said the incident is now being investigated as a double homicide after police located a vehicle wanted in connection with Liggins' death and found the body of a 50-year-old man inside with gunshot wounds. The car and body were found on the 1300 block of North 22nd Street, about 11 miles to the southeast of the gas station where Liggins was shot.
At 2:25 a.m. Monday, 17-year-old Terrence A. Hinton was shot while inside a vehicle on the 5600 block of North 95th Street and died from his injuries. He was an 11th-grade student.
Homicides rose at a historic rate locally and nationally at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. People of all demographics have been increasingly victimized since then and the average age of a shooting suspect in Milwaukee is 35, said David Muhammad, the deputy director of the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services.
But the withdrawal of in-person services during the COVID-19 pandemic may have had a larger impact on children, he said.
“Stress is at an all-time high, but what we see happening with adults we see more manifested with young people in a more shocking way,” Muhammad said.
From 2016 to 2019, no more than 10 children 17 and younger died by homicide in Milwaukee, but 20 or more have been killed in each of the three years since then, according to the city's Homicide Review Commission.
In 2021, Muhammad's department launched the Credible Messenger program that extends mentorship and a range of other family services to at-risk teens. Last week, Muhammad appeared before a city of Milwaukee committee to talk about the program's progress.
Of 65 teens who participated, 50 did not re-offend and also avoided being a victim of assault or a shooting, he said. Eleven re-offended once and four re-offended twice.
Participants also reported growth in academic success, stable relationships, life skills, sense of dignity and economic stability, he said. In an interview on Monday, Muhammad said more communication among schools, government agencies and neighborhoods would help keep young people safe.
“We have to have a greater level of connection to how to respond to those kinds of incidents,” he 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.
Contact Elliot Hughes at elliot.hughes@jrn.com or 414-704-8958. Follow him on Twitter @elliothughes12.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Two teens killed in separate shootings in Milwaukee
