Six injured after argument following Milwaukee Juneteenth celebration leads to gunfire

By 
 June 21, 2023

There were media reports on Monday of a mass shooting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, following a Juneteenth celebration that left six people wounded, according to Breitbart.

As has become increasingly common, however, the initial media reports were a bit misleading as this incident was not the sort of "mass shooting" event that most people envision when they hear that politicized phrase.

Instead, rather than a solo "active shooter" armed with a rifle and other gear firing indiscriminately at random innocent people, the shooting appears to have been the end result of an argument between individuals that devolved into gunfire, with some of those rounds likely hitting other innocent bystanders.

Argument among group of young women led to shooting

ABC News reported that according to the Milwaukee Police Department, the city's Juneteenth celebration had wrapped up around 4 pm but hundreds of people were still milling around the area when an argument ensued among a group of girls and young women.

At some point, one or more guns were pulled and shots rang out, leaving six wounded teenagers who ranged in age from 14-19 in the ensuing chaos.

One of those who was injured was a 17-year-old male who is suspected to have been a shooter and was taken into custody while police continue to investigate and search for additional suspects.

Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said during a press conference that it remained unclear at that time what had caused the initial dispute among the group of girls and young women, and also noted that, thankfully, none of the injuries sustained during the incident were life-threatening.

Two wounded suspects in custody

ABC News further reported that a witness to the incident identified as T. Jenkins also told the local newspaper that there had been a fight among a group of women and that he had seen everyone begin to scatter when a young man pulled out a handgun and began firing.

That was seemingly confirmed by a viral video shared on social media by local Fox affiliate WITI which showed exactly what had been described by Jenkins and the police -- a brawl involving several young women in the street and then the crowd scattering and running for cover after a young man was caught on the video drawing his weapon and starting to shoot.

WITI reported in an update that in addition to police arresting the wounded 17-year-old suspected shooter -- likely the young man caught on the video -- another 19-year-old male "victim" wounded in the incident was also arrested on Tuesday as a suspected shooter.

Police chief and mayor decry gun violence

"Milwaukee, what’s going on with our children?" Chief Norman asked rhetorically during the press conference. "Parents, guardians, elders -- we need to engage and ensure that this violence that our children are bringing to these streets ceases. No handgun, no weapon of destruction should be in the hands of our young ones. It’s important that ALL of us do something."

The chief added, "This is a story that plays out too often, and it’s getting really old. Really old."

Democratic Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said, "There were families out here. There were kids out here. There were babies out here. If you are an adult or a young person, you’ve got your hands on a gun, and you are ill-tempered, right? Don’t come to stuff like this. Don’t come. Get the help that you need."

"You don’t have the right to steal the joy that this community felt. You don’t have the right to endanger babies in this community," the mayor added. "You don’t have the right to put the men and women of this department and our partners in the Office of Violence Prevention in harm’s way because you want to go out there and act stupid with a gun, and that’s what it is, it’s stupidity."

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