Report says homicides in Milw. up 15% from 2012
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Milwaukee's Homicide Review Commission has released a report on 2013 homicides and non-fatal shootings in Milwaukee. Some of the troubling findings include the age of suspects and victims (in many cases, they are teens), and where the shootings are happening (the lion's share on Milwaukee's north side).
The Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission collects data on each homicide and nonfatal shooting incident and compiles this information into one comprehensive report each year.
The 2013 Data Report provides a summary of the men, women, and children that became victims or perpetrators of homicides and shootings in our city.
The major findings from the report are:
Not a day goes by that the family of Vincent Walker doesn't think about him and miss him.
Gregory Walker says his nephew, 39-year-old Vincent was returning home and getting out of his car when he was gunned down on the evening of March 12th.
The family has no idea why.
"It's senseless killing, you know. They don't have to do what they did. The killing that's going on in Milwaukee -- it's over nothing," Gregory Walker said.
"We have seen an increase in homicides and non-fatal shootings. We also saw an increase in domestic violence homicides. We also had an increase in the number of children 17 and under that were killed," Mallory O'Brien, the director of the Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission said.
O'Brien says age is something that stands out in the murder numbers she's reviewed.
"Of the victims and suspects with arrest histories, 19 percent of them were arrested for the first time by the time they were 12," O'Brien said.
The report will help city officials work with more targeted social programs to help curb the violence.
"We need to be focusing on the youth in our community," O'Brien said.
This past year, more than 100 families have dealt with murder. Gregory Walker hopes for change, and a break in his nephew's case.
"We deal with it every single day, but at the same time, we would like closure," Walker said.
CLICK HERE to view the report at www.Milwaukee.gov.