MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CRIME & JUSTICE

Six people found 'shot dead' in Milwaukee residence, suspect and motive unknown

A homicide investigation is underway after six individuals were discovered dead at a residence near Milwaukee, according to the Milwaukee Police Department

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN: According to local police, a homicide investigation is underway after six individuals were discovered dead at a residence near Milwaukee. Officers were responding to a complaint from worried neighbors on January 23, Sunday, afternoon when they discovered four males and one woman dead at the home, according to Paul Formolo, assistant chief of the Milwaukee Police Department. On January 24, Monday, The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's office tweeted that a sixth corpse had been discovered at the scene. The sixth victim was another male.

The victims' identities have not been revealed yet, but the autopsies are expected soon. All six victims suffered injuries that are alleged to have been caused by gunshots, according to police. During an earlier press conference before the sixth corpse was discovered, Formolo had stated, "Citizens of our community had concerns with the occupants that resided there and it's a normal call for us to respond to. We do it all the time. And we came here and unfortunately today, we found five people that were deceased."

READ MORE

Wisconsin gunman slaughters 4 teens and woman in their home, then calls 911 to say his family is dead

Milwaukee Amber Alert: Girl, 3, kidnapped by two men at gunpoint

Officials in Milwaukee have condemned the incident, which comes amid a spike in crime in the city, which saw a new record of 197 homicides in 2021. Milwaukee's head of violence prevention, Arnitta Holliman, said to USA Today, “The community is tired. We are tired of seeing people’s lives snuffed out too soon in preventable situations. This is absolutely preventable. Any of the gun violence that we’re seeing is preventable and we cannot continue this same trajectory that we've seen for the last two years. That means each and every one of us has to step up, speak up, stand up, do something to change the course of what's happening in our community.” 

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson termed the event "horrific" in a message on Twitter on Sunday, January 23. He wrote, "First, I offer my condolences to the families and friends of the victims. Whatever the circumstances, we must share the grief of those who have lost ones.” He also expressed his displeasure with the increase in crime in Milwaukee, saying, "It is important not to feel numbed by the ongoing violence in our community. A horrible crime has again occurred, and it is not a movie or a fictional account. These victims died in our city, in one of our neighborhoods."

City authorities, according to Johnson, are steadfast in their attempts to prevent violence. "We will achieve that through strengthened and improved law enforcement, through community prevention, and through a renewed commitment to prevention,” he remarked.

In his tweet linked to the official statement, Johnson wrote: "Living on this block for a time growing up, I saw some of the worst violence that a child should never see. If Milwaukee is ever going to live up to its potential then we must work to make sure that these neighborhoods and the people in them, are safe, healthy, and prosperous."