Mayor Barrett and Police Chief Flynn react to children hurt in shooting

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett aired their frustration during an afternoon news conference after two children were shot while sitting in a van. Flynn says the children were shot as a result of an altercation between the driver of the van and another adult male.

 

Milwaukee Police responded to the shooting near 37th and Hadley just after 7 p.m. on July 23. A 10-year-old boy and 11-year-old girl were shot.

 

Police say the 39-year-old man driving the van became involved in an altercation with another adult that led to them firing gun shots at each other. Chief Flynn says there were seven children in that van ranging in age from 2 - 11 years old.

 

During the news conference, Chief Flynn noted that the 39-year-old man was recently released from prison. He was arrested for violating his probation the day after the shooting. The mother of the children dropped him off before taking her kids to the hospital.

 

Chief Flynn also explained that the mother of the seven children had recently regained custody of her children. Chief Flynn says the mother lost her children after she abused her them. The day after the shooting the Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services checked on the condition of this family's home. The home was condemned after city officials found feces, cockroaches and bed bugs scattered around the house. Chief Flynn said, \"Do these kids have a chance?\"

 

In a move to point out how many guns are on the streets of Milwaukee, Chief Flynn compared gun confiscation numbers. He said New York, a city with nearly 9 million residents, confiscated 1,350 guns off their streets as of July 6, 2014. Chief Flynn says the City of Milwaukee has confiscated 1,340 guns so far in 2014.

 

Mayor Barrett promised extra patrols in this neighborhood for as long as it takes for it to become a safe neighborhood. He asked the community to respect and work with the police. He also asked police to respect and work with members of the community.

 

Police are still looking for the suspect who fired shots into the van injuring two children.

 

Both children are being treated for non-life threatening injuries at a local hospital.