MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee police say they are investigating the Saturday afternoon shooting death of an 8-year-old girl as a homicide.
A 47-year-old man is accused of handling a firearm that discharged and struck the girl, who died at a nearby hospital.
Evidence markers could be seen at the back porch of a residence on West Highland Avenue late Saturday afternoon. A group of about 10 people stood near the scene, consoling a woman overcome with emotion, the Journal Sentinel reported.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson called the death “heartbreaking” and said “mistaken gunfire has extinguished another innocent life.” Criminal charges will be referred to the Milwaukee County district attorney’s office in the upcoming days, police said.
“Please, put down the guns,” the mayor said. “If you have a gun in your home, secure it with a trigger lock or in a safe. Never, never handle a gun near children.”
