The Milwaukee Medical Examiner’s Office in Wisconsin has identified the 13-year-old boy killed in a shooting near 47th and Fiebrantz in Milwaukee Sunday evening.
The victim was identified as Jamarri Paige.
According to Milwaukee police, the child died at the scene of the shooting around 6:30 p.m.
Officers have no one in custody for the shooting and are seeking unknown suspects.
Paige was an eighth grader at Hartford University School, which is on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Neighbors say in the spring and summer, they would see Paige out cutting grass.
Neighbors said someone pulled up to the home and started shooting repeatedly into it. The boy was shot while sitting at the table. His mother was making dinner, one neighbor said.
“It seems like on a daily basis, we hear of another Milwaukee child dying,” said Michael Haskins, whose parents live across the street from where the shooting happened. “It has to stop. It’s time for change and some type of accountability. People need to put the guns down.”
Haskins was at his parents’ house eating dinner when they heard the shots.
“It was so loud, it felt like they were shooting at our house,” Haskins said. “We were sitting at the table talking. We heard at least eight rounds fired. We all hit the floor.”
The next thing they heard was their neighbor crying and screaming, begging for someone to help her son who had been shot. Other children came out of the house. Haskins said he tried to comfort one of the victim’s sisters.
“I just hugged her,” Haskins said. “It’s disgusting. To have seen a mother in that kind of raw pain and panic, I don’t wish that on my worst enemy. Imagine losing your son in a matter of seconds like that. There were other kids in the house that saw it as well.”
Neighbors don’t believe Paige was the intended target. But they do believe a car, with the shooter inside, had been circling the block and targeted the home Paige was in.
Milwaukee Alderman Khalif J. Rainey lives a few blocks away and says he heard the gunshots Sunday evening. He shared his frustration in a statement:
“Gun violence continues to be far too commonplace, and I will once again say enough is enough. We must all do better – for ourselves, our community, and especially our children.”
“The truth is I am running out of words to describe my feelings of anger and disgust at these types of incidents. Already this year we have lost multiple young people at the hands of gun violence. Children who had their lives cut short because someone decided to fire a weapon. We cannot allow this to continue,” according to Rainey’s statement.
Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) provided the following statement, “Whenever an incident happens in the community that could affect our students and families, MPS has resources available for anyone who needs support. Families can reach out to their child’s school to be connected with resources.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Milwaukee Police at (414) 935-7360, or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at (414)224-Tips or P3 Tips.
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