The Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission (MHRC) recently released its annual report for 2013, recapping the 105 homicides and 532 non-fatal shootings that happened in the city.
Homicides went up 15 percent, while non-fatal shootings rose 5 percent. MHRC director Mallory O’Brien said there was also a big increase in killings in mid-to-late summer.
She doesn’t think hotter temperatures drove more people to shoot each other, but that other factors may have been at work: “Things like wound locations, number of wounds, were they taken directly to the hospital, were they taken by EMS.”
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O’Brien said another number that went up by a sizable amount last year was the non-fatal shootings in taverns. Those incidents nearly doubled from 2012. She said a committee is looking into the increase.
“We’re going to be digging into where did they occur, when did they occur, and other relevant information that’s going to help us,” said O’Brien.
O’Brien said in the middle of 2006, city officials were able to reduce gun incidents in taverns.
Newly elected Milwaukee Common Council President Michael Murphy said the number of young black male victims highlighted in the new report should prompt some immediate changes.
“Put kids into programs which are both academically and athletically activities they can participate in,” said Murphy. “Certainly finding jobs for these young men would be a good start.”
Murphy said he’ll also try to bring together law enforcement and public health officials to bring down the gun violence in Milwaukee.
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