Milwaukee's homicide rate on the rise: 137 fatal shootings in 2020 compared to 66 in 2019

MILWAUKEE (CBS58) -- The homicide rate in Milwaukee is up this year. Officials tell CBS 58 there have been 137 homicides from Jan. 1 to Sept. 24, 2020. During the same time period last year, there were 66 homicides -- which means the rate more than doubled.

There have been 508 non-fatal shootings this year. In 2019, during the same time period, there were 301.

CBS 58 reached out to Reggie Moore. He is the director of the Office of Violence Prevention in Milwaukee. He says most shootings occur among people who know each other. They’re seeing more inner-family conflict that’s leading to shootings. Moore mentions that they're also noticing incidents like road-rage and people acting out in the spur of the moment. He says his job is to help people handle conflict in a non-violent way.

“We’re encouraging people to pause, really think about is this worth losing or injuring a life or doing an extensive amount in time in prison. Nine times out of ten, when we talk to people who have done time for gun violence if they can go back and rewind and make a better decision they would," Moore said.

There is a 414LIFE Program in Milwaukee. Moore says in city’s budget for 2021, there is a plan to expand the program so they can do more work on the city's south side.