MADISON, Wis. — Madison police hope to figure out who shot and killed a Madison high school student over the weekend, but as of Monday night, we still don’t know the victim’s name.
But his death, and the circumstances around it, remind us of the work the city and the county are doing to fight gun violence in our community.
The death marked the 5th homicide in Madison this year. The city is on pace to have fewer homicides in 2020, and so far has seen fewer shots fired calls, coming off a year where 48 people were hit by bullets in at least 250 confirmed shootings.
Those are numbers local leaders don’t want to surpass in 2021.
Max Schilling and his roommates were moving into their college house when they heard — and could almost feel — bullets flying.
“We heard the gun shots go off and when I heard them, I could hear the whizzing,” Schilling said. “I felt pretty exposed sitting in the front seat of a truck.”
Schilling was a witness to the shooting on Saturday night, during a party with about 100 other people in the streets. He saw people running for their lives, jumping into bushes, and fearing the worst.
It’s moments like these that hit home for Cindy Grady, who is a supervisor for Madison’s Violence Prevention Coalition.
“I have an 11-year-old and it really gets to me that this kind of situation happens,” Grady said.
As of right now, Madison police are responding to 12 percent fewer shots fired calls compared to the same point last year. Members of the coalition hope that statistic shows progress and gets them closer to their overall goal: locate the reason for gun violence, attack it with resources developed to reduce it, and build back the trust and safety for the Madison community.
“We know Public Health is not going to be the only answer but we are providing the framework and coordination to make that happen,” Grady said.
Police are still investigating Saturday night’s shooting and are asking for the public’s help in gathering any information.
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