Illustration by Kristian Knutsen; image via city of Milwaukee

Series: Milwaukee Gun Violence

Milwaukee experienced a dramatic increase in shootings and homicides in 2015. This violence was concentrated in the poorest areas of Wisconsin's largest city, one with entrenched racial and economic disparities. The locations of most homicides correspond with the zip codes that have the highest poverty rates, the lowest levels of educational attainment, weak access to mental-health services, and high numbers of people struggling to pay rent. These issues are also connected to historical events like the city's urban-renewal programs of the 1960s, which displaced many African-American families from their homes.
 
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Authorities are continuing to investigate a shooting at the Molson Coors brewery complex in Milwaukee that left six people — including the gunman — dead.
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A gunman opened fire at Milwaukee's Molson Coors brewery complex, killing five people before taking his own life, according to Milwaukee police.
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Milwaukee's crime rate is steadily decreasing, according to city officials. Over the last five years, the city has seen a 33% reduction in violent crime including homicides, nonfatal shootings and carjackings.
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Tyrese Mosbey was shot in the head at a bus stop after school, and the teenager and his family have struggled through the recovery process. Milwaukee Office of Violence Prevention Director Reggie Moore discusses the trauma of non-fatal shootings and their impacts on the community.
In an effort to curb violence in Milwaukee, the city unveiled its "Blueprint for Peace." Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett discusses the goals of the program, and what the future will hold for the city.
As Milwaukee grapples with increasing violence — against a national backdrop in which violent crime has steadily decreased since the early 1990s — there's no avoiding the multi-generational impacts of poverty and racial disparities in the city.
Nora Sheridan has been speaking out against gun violence in Milwaukee for years. Then she got the call all parents fear — that her 36-year-old son, Rainier Sheridan, had been murdered, in her own home.
More children and families may receive counseling in response to exposure to gun violence and other trauma as a Milwaukee program expands.
Officers took 2,419 guns off Milwaukee streets in 2016 according to the city's police Department, which amounts to more than 400 guns seized per 100,000 residents.
Limited data about how the ShotSpotter alerts in Milwaukee between 2013 and 2015 shed some light on how this gunfire audio detection system is used by police.