"Everybody wants peace:" As Archie Brown Sr. forgives Ricky Chiles, others work to change hearts

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- People in Milwaukee are trying to make sense of a week that has seen multiple murders. Eight people have lost their lives in violent incidents this week -- and on Thursday, April 16th -- a suspect in one of those violent incidents took his own life as law enforcement officials closed in on him.

On Wednesday night around 7:30 p.m., a judge signed a warrant for Ricky Chiles' arrest.

Chiles was believed to be the suspect who pulled the trigger Sunday near 48th and Glendale -- killing 40-year-old Archie Brown. This, after Brown was driving his van in the area and he struck and killed two-year-old Damani Terry. Also shot, Chiles' 15-year-old nephew Rasheed Chiles. He died at the hospital during surgery.

Investigators were tipped off on Wednesday evening that Chiles was with his girlfriend at the Presidential Inn and Suites in Chicago. On Thursday morning, Chicago police and U.S. Marshals were attempting to enter that motel room — and Chiles took his own life with his firearm.

In Milwaukee hours later, folks fed up with all the violence hit the street to spread a message of peace.

"Everybody wants peace," Richard Payne said.

Milwaukee has seen 11 shooting incidents this week, in addition to a fatal stabbing and fatal battery incident. Eight people have lost their lives. This week's shootings come after we saw seven shootings during Easter weekend in Milwaukee -- five of them within a two-hour period.

"They basically want their city back," Payne said.

On Thursday morning, the hunt for Ricky Chiles, wanted in connection with what might be the most high-profile of the violent incidents this week came to an end.

Archie Brown's father says he wanted to see Chiles convicted for his son's death.

"We can`t see him get man`s justice, but I know for a fact he`s getting God`s justice."

"No remorse, no 'I`m sorry,' no nothing.  We can`t see him get man`s justice, but I know for a fact he`s getting God`s justice," Archie Brown Sr. said.

Chiles was a convicted felon -- pleading guilty to a felony charge of robbery with threat of force as party to a crime back in 2011 in connection with a bank robbery. A transcript from his sentencing hearing reveals he had bipolar disorder and schizo-affective disorder. Speaking to the judge, Chiles said "I'm thankful no one was injured or lost their lives in the robbery."

Chiles was sentenced to two years in prison and two years of extended supervision on January 30th, 2012 -- and told he could not possess a firearm. Chiles' extended supervision wasn't set to expire until August 2015, so he should have never had a gun on Sunday.

"Forgiveness is more than just a word," Archie Brown Sr. said.

While Brown's father is forgiving Chiles in his own heart -- others in Milwaukee are working to change the hearts of others -- and put an end to all the violence.

The following is a breakdown of the violent incidents that have occurred in Milwaukee since Sunday:

THURSDAY, April 16th

WEDNESDAY, April 15th

TUESDAY, April 14th

MONDAY, April 13th

SUNDAY, April 12th

Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn says part of what's led to all the violence in Milwaukee is easy access to guns. He says for a career criminal, it's more dangerous to be without a gun when coming face-to-face with another career criminal than it is to get arrested with a gun. He also says the state's gun laws "need teeth," and we need better enforcement of the laws that are on the books.

"We have a serious crime problem here that is exacerbated by the availability of firearms and the fact that for a career criminal it is more dangerous to get caught without your gun by another career criminal than it is to get arrested with that gun. If we cant change their mental calculation, why should they behave differently? It's rational behavior. If 88 percent of my victims and 85 percent of my offenders in shootings have criminal histories, why should they change their mind about carrying a gun? If the odd baby or toddler gets shot in the meantime, so what? That is their thinking. We cannot change their thinking just by arresting them. We are arresting them. We are getting their guns off the street. 80 percent of the guns we seize are evidence guns. That is the highest rate in decades. Our laws need teeth -- and we need legislators with a spine," Chief Flynn said.

Chief Flynn says there are an "interlocking set of challenges" when it comes to dealing with Milwaukee's violence.

"One of the hardest things to do is to rationally talk about the connection between violent crimes and firearms without awakening the sleeping beast of the Second Amendment defenders who have never met a gun law they liked. We've got a lot of people out there who think this is all about the Second Amendment -- as though our founding fathers were committed to arming pirates and highwaymen back in the 1700s. No. We've got career criminals who have easy access to high-quality firearms that they buy legally on the streets of this city without a background check. We've got career criminals out there lawfully carrying firearms with CCW permits because our current law permits that. We have career criminals get arrested with guns who, if they're not already felons, can only be charged with a misdemeanor. That is a recipe for encouraging the kind of behavior we've seen and I don't think there's any coincidence that there's been a little bit of a lag time between this law being passed and its impact being felt in the most vulnerable communities that are already affected by violence. Is it the sole cause? Of course not, but does that mean we as a mature society have no ability to change our laws to our benefit? I mean my God, this looks like the NRA's vision for America right now alright? And it shouldn't be. And I'd like to think that someday we can elect legislators that have got the guts and moral fortitude to stand up to a special interest group that doesn't give a damn about the amount of violent homicides in the central cities of America -- but sadly that does not appear to be the case,"

Finally, Chief Flynn said Thursday there is no one solution to Milwaukee's violence problem.

"There is no one solution to this problem. I am not pretending there is -- but there are ingredients to this problem out of the control of this city and we need some help having some rational discussions about this that get beyond the soundbites, beyond the talking points, and maybe allow that a free people can govern themselves without the advice of a special interest lobbying group," Chief Flynn said.