At least 21 people were shot and wounded in three separate shootings in the downtown Milwaukee bar district after the Milwaukee Bucks playoff game, which drew thousands to Deer County.
One of the shootings, which took place shortly after 11pm, left 17 people injured.
The victims were between the ages of 15 and 47 and all are expected to survive, Milwaukee police said. Ten people have been arrested and nine weapons have been recovered, according to a short Milwaukee police press release sent out Saturday morning.
Authorities did not release more information about the victims, the age of the suspects and what they believe led to the shooting.
The mass shooting took place shortly after 11pm on Friday on North Water Street, near Highland Avenue, just two hours later and a few blocks from a previous shooting that injured three people, including a 16-year-old girl. years.
Police arrested a 19-year-old man and said two other men, aged 29 and 26, were injured near the corner of North Martin Luther King Drive and Highland Avenue.
The shootings sent hundreds of fans running through the Deer District, where 11,000 people gathered to watch Game 6 of the Eastern Conference playoff series between the Bucks and the Boston Celtics.
Shortly after the shooting, at around 10:30 p.m., a 20-year-old man was shot and wounded on North Water Street near West Highland Avenue. It was unclear on Saturday morning whether the man’s shooting was related to the mass shooting that later took place at the same location.
The Deer District has attracted thousands of people to the city center over the past year to encourage the Bucks. The area has been seen by many as a unifying space in a city with a reputation for segregated spaces.
On Friday night after the match, the streets were full of people in what felt like the first summer night in the city.
Thousands of people came out of the Fiserv Forum and the Cerbului neighborhood and surrounding bars, with large crowds swelling the streets in what was almost a festival atmosphere – complete with bursts of music, clouds of smoke and people stopping traffic for impromptu dance parties. .
Then the gunfire smells of people running away. IT HAS Sentinel Journal Reporter Leaving the arena around 11:30 p.m. wrong on a street.
Violence has hit an entertainment district that has been hit by two years of pandemics and other major incidents of gun violence, including two homicides earlier this year.
Last month, Shannon Freeman, a 30-year-old father and beloved chef, was shot and killed at The Loaded Slate Bar. Prosecutors say a 24-year-old man shot him 11 times and continued to do so even after he fell to the ground, after what appeared to be a minimal interaction between the two inside the bar.
In February, Krystal N. Tucker, 31, was killed and two others were shot dead at the popular Brownstone Social Lounge, where Tucker worked. Authorities say the attacker was denied access to the bar due to age restrictions and, after being escorted, pulled out a gun and opened fire.
“Everyone has a gun”: Alderman links to last summer’s violence
Last summer, violence in the Water Street area – including reckless driving, fighting and gunfire – drew widespread attention and promised public officials to make sure the district was safe.
Police have promised to maintain a “constant presence” in the area on weekend nights and on the nights of Bucks’ home games. At the time, a bar owner told the elected officials that “the injustice that has taken over our street is only shocking and terrifying.”
In a Saturday morning interview, Milwaukee Ald. Robert Bauman, who is a big part of the city center, said he had heard from condominium associations in the past month or two about their concerns about downtown violence last summer.
“I told them very honestly, based on the current conditions, that I don’t know why last summer’s violence would not be repeated,” Bauman said. – I mean, you have the same dynamic.
“The police told me last year and I guess it’s true again – everyone has a gun,” he added. “They are far from over.”
He also expressed concern about “tailgating” in the city center, which he described as “non-bar customers who sit in or around vehicles – drinking, smoking and playing music – and are armed ”.
“However, there is no reason why this should not happen again. Because there are the same conditions for this to happen – weapons, illegal behavior, warm weather with the magnetic effect of a Bucks game, “said Bauman. “You almost have to pray for cold and rain.”
The councilor said he had been told that the police intended to make staff and have a large presence in the city center, but Bauman called for talks on security perimeters around entertainment districts, gun checks and the removal of street parking in the area.
“They will have to look at removing all parking lots on the street for blocks of flats to prevent tailgating,” he said.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and Council President José G. Pérez could not be reached immediately for talks on Saturday morning. Johnson is expected to speak to reporters later on Saturday.
This is an evolving story and will be updated.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Milwaukee Police at (414) 935-7360 or remain anonymous by contacting Crime Stoppers at (414) 224-Tips or the P3 Tips App.
Contact Ashley Luthern at ashley.luthern@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @aluthern.