Rahjeen Mitchell

Jasmine Owens

Donnicka Jones

Rahjeen Mitchell

Within one month, three innocent children were shot in Milwaukee because they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A 12-year-old girl was shot and critically wounded Wednesday night after stepping outside of her home and walking into an altercation among a group of young males, police and a relative said.

The girl, whom the relative identified as Rahjeen Mitchell, was struck once in the forehead at about 7:40 p.m. in the 5000 block of N. 28th St., said Lt. James Timm of the Milwaukee Police Department's Criminal Investigation Bureau.

The girl suffered a single gunshot wound to the center of her forehead, and the bullet exited the left side of head, Timm said.

According to Timm, an altercation between a male suspect and another person, who was the intended target, preceded the shooting. The suspect was with one to two other males. All were thought to be in their mid-teens to early 20s.

Police were seeking the young males late Wednesday.

The girl was in critical but stable condition late Wednesday at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Timm said.

..."My little cousin had just come out the house when the confrontation started," [Rahjeen's cousin, Adonis Mitchell] said. "The boy who started walking away turned around and started shooting. The next thing you know my little cousin is lying on the ground."

..."This violence has got to stop," Mitchell said.

I thought the death of 4-year-old Jasmine Owens was supposed to be the wake up call.

I thought the community was outraged. I thought people weren't going to tolerate this. They were going to rise up. Not one more child would be shot so senselessly.

Apparently, the two or three thugs involved in the altercation that ended in the shooting of Rahjeen Mitchell didn't get the memo.

I guess the candlelight vigils didn't have much of an effect on them.

It seems Mayor Tom Barrett's anger wasn't enough to spare more children.

It was just earlier this week that Barrett blamed Milwaukee's violent crime on "a decline in funds for the community-oriented policing service program and the need for responsible gun legislation."

Yes, if the Bush administration wasn't so sidetracked by its emphasis on "homeland security" rather than focusing on "hometown security," then things would be so much better.

Milwaukee streets would be safer.

Rahjeen Mitchell wouldn't be in the hospital right now.

Jasmine Owens' killer would be in police custody rather than getting away with murder.

When will Milwaukee's violent downward spiral stop?

There's no reason to believe that it will. None.

Conscienceless thugs, citizens unwilling to cooperate with police, and a clueless mayor guarantee that more innocents will become victims.

Ald. Bob Donovan's idea of bringing in the National Guard to patrol the mean streets of Milwaukee sounds like a good idea.

A curfew alone wouldn't help much since the thugs are so brazen, with so many of these shootings occurring in broad daylight in busy places.

Martial law in Milwaukee sounds like plan.

I think the situation is that bad. I really do.