Milwaukee teen shot by brother, 10; 'unintentional' say police

MILLWAUKEE - A 13-year-old boy is still in the hospital after being shot by his brother near 84th and Grantosa on Thursday evening, March 30.

Milwaukee police said the shooting was unintentional. The father, who was arrested, has not been charged.

Shooting near 84th and Grantosa on

Renee Townsend is still in shock after the incident. Townsend said her 10-year-old grandson got ahold of a gun and shot his 13-year-old stepbrother.

"He was shot in his stomach," said Townsend.

Milwaukee police arrested the 10-year-old.

"I know he's scared. Being in that detention center and everything," said Townsend. "I'm going to see my baby."

Renee Townsend 

Townsend's 32-year-old son was also taken into custody.

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During an interview with FOX6's Bret Lemoine, Anneliese Dickman discussed the gun violence in Milwaukee. Dickman is the midwest program manager at Brady, a company working to end gun violence in the United States. Lemoine asked Dickman whether youth shootings are caused by guns or by parents.

"It's both," said Dickman. "The increases we've seen in child shootings are up this year over last year."

According to Milwaukee police statistics year to date, homicides and non-fatal shootings where victims are children are up compared to last year. Dickman urges all gun owners to lock up unloaded guns with the ammunition stored separately. 

We saw a huge surge of firearms sales during the pandemic," said Dickman. "That has resulted in more of these incidents."

Townsend never thought her family would be in the middle of a tragedy like this. Now she's telling others to put their guns away.

"Please just leave them alone. That's all I can say," said Townsend. "Just please leave them alone."

The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office is reviewing potential charges. Townsend said the 13-year-old could be in the hospital for a week or more.