MILWAUKEE — One teenager is dead and another is in the hospital after a violent clash overnight in Milwaukee’s Washington Park after a Juneteenth event.
The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) says a large group of around 50 unsupervised teenagers had been fighting and being ‘unruly’ at the T4TC Juneteenth event (This 4 The City). Event organizers shut it down, but the teens stuck around, and a large fight broke out on the northeast side of Washington Park near 42nd and Lloyd around 8:53 p.m. CST.
A 17-year-old suspect then fired “either a fully automatic or a fully automatic converted weapon” into the crowd, according to MCSO Deputy Dan Hughes. A 17-year-old was shot and later died on the scene, while a 15-year-old was shot and later walked into a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
A detective in plain clothes responding to the scene then shot at the suspect, who fled Washington Park and was later arrested at gunpoint around 9:35 p.m. CST. That detective is described as a 27-year veteran of the sheriff’s office and has been placed on administrative leave.
Hughes says the suspect had previously been arrested on May 20th for a felon in possession of a firearm charge but had been out on a $750 cash bail.
“I would say it’s unfortunate, but unfortunate isn’t the right word. It’s infuriating” said Hughes. “We have an event that’s supposed to celebrate the Juneteenth holiday, and it ultimately ends in another young man being killed.”
This is a developing story; more information will be provided as it becomes available.
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