6 teenagers injured in Milwaukee shooting following Juneteenth festivities

Six teenagers were wounded when gunfire erupted in Milwaukee on Monday afternoon after Juneteenth celebrations had finished, officials said. 

The victims, four females and two males, ranged in age from 14-19, Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said. None of the injuries were considered to be life-threatening.

One of the victims, a 17-year-old boy, was believed to have fired shots during the incident on the city’s Martin Luther King Drive. He was taken into custody. Norman said they’re seeking additional suspects. 

The shooting might have happened after a fight between “multiple young females,” Norman said. He did not elaborate upon the nature of the dispute, which he referred to as a “little argument.”

“It was not worth what happened,” Norman said. “I know that there was no need for the males to get involved with firearms. So no matter what was going on with that little argument, firearm violence is not the way to solve that.”

“You don’t pull out a gun and try to end somebody’s life over something as simple and as meaningless as a petty disagreement,” Mayor Cavalier Johnson said. 

Johnson called the shooting unacceptable. 

“You don’t have the right to steal the joy that this community felt today,” the mayor said. “You don’t have the right to endanger babies in this community.”

Johnson stressed that the Juneteenth celebrations were safe. 

“I mean look, one person pulled out a gun and caused problems today after the festivities were over,” Johnson said. “Other than that, we had thousands and thousands and thousands of people here celebrating, bringing themselves together and having a sense of community. That’s a powerful thing, that’s the true story about what this day is.”