8-year-old boy shot, 16-year-old arrested: 'Should outrage us all'

8-year-old boy shot, 16-year-old arrested

An 8-year-old boy was shot inside his home near 29th Street and Courtland Avenue just before 9 p.m. Saturday.

MILWAUKEE - An 8-year-old boy was shot inside his home near 29th Street and Courtland Avenue just before 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13. Police said a 16-year-old pulled the trigger. Community activists say violence like this has to stop.

"They have no remorse," said Tracey Dent, community organizer. "They don’t care who gets hit. It’s just so frustrating."

Police said the boy was inside his home when a bullet came in and he was hit. He was treated at the hospital.

"Frustration, anger and the way that it was done -- shoot into a house," said Dent. "What can you say?"

A 16-year-old was arrested in the shooting.

Tracey Dent

Dent has been working to stop violence like this.

"What systems do we have in place to save our youth right now?" said Dent.

The shooting happened on the heels of Milwaukee's most violent year. In 2020, 190 people were killed. Twenty-seven of those homicides involved children. Seventy-two kids were shot and survived.

Reggie Moore

"If children and women in our city are not safe, nobody is safe," said Reggie Moore with the Milwaukee Office of Violence Prevention.

Moore said additional resources need to be dedicated to ending violence.

"It’s a tragic incident in our city that should not only outrage us all, but should also motivate us to demand there is investment and support to do everything to reduce violence," said Moore.

Leaders hope this serves as a wake-up call.

"This is going to continue if we all don’t pitch in," said Dent.

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