Milwaukee gun violence trend, prevention advocates surprised
Violent trend surprises prevention advocates
A Milwaukee gun violence trend over the past few weeks is even surprising the people who are dedicated to stopping it.
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee police responded to three different shootings just minutes apart early Saturday morning, part of a gun violence trend over the past few weeks that is even surprising the people who are dedicated to stopping it.
Family grieves
What they're saying:
Loved ones identified 38-year-old Kelvin Bonds Jr. and his younger cousin as the two men shot and killed near 6th and Vienna early Saturday.
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"Kelvin was a good kid, just getting his life together," said Kelvin Bonds Sr. "That's my first-born."
Kelvin Bonds Jr. (photo provided by family)
A father's pain was hard to put into words as he talked through years at a vigil on Saturday. The family said they don't know what happened. Bonds Jr. had just gotten a new job that he was excited about, and loved ones said he was known for his dancing, as well as being well-dressed and the life of the party.
"He's going to be missed, by a lot," said Bonds Sr.
Violence interrupters
Dig deeper:
The impact of gun violence goes beyond the victims and their families. For the very people who are dedicated to stopping it, the amount of gun violence of the past few weeks is surprising.
"This is the most guns I've ever seen in the city's history," said Stephen Hopkins.
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Hopkins is a program manager with the Milwaukee Department of Community Wellness and Safety critical response team, whose violence interrupters go to several hotspots in the city for community outreach and intervention.
"If somebody reaches out to me, and they tell me about a problem that's brewing, and they reach out to us," he said. "I can deploy my team out there, it's a possibility that we can stop it before it goes all the way left."
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Hopkins said, right now, they're focusing on collaborative efforts with other groups to fill in the voids.
"We're to the point where options are running low. The only thing we haven't done is all unite and go against this problem," he said.
The Source: FOX6 News went to a vigil, interviewed Hopkins and referenced information from the Milwaukee Police Department.