MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee officers on Saturday enacted a curfew for younger folks and added further patrols after 21 folks have been injured in three separate downtown shootings close to an leisure district the place 1000’s gathered for an NBA playoff recreation.

Three folks have been injured within the first taking pictures, one within the second, and 17 in what police described as an alternate of gunfire between two teams of individuals, all only a few blocks from the world the place the Milwaukee Bucks misplaced to the Boston Celtics in Sport 6 of the NBA’s Japanese Convention semifinals. The entire victims are anticipated to outlive.

“What makes folks suppose they’ll simply have a shootout on a public road or in an leisure district, whether or not police are there or not?” Assistant Police Chief Nicole Waldner requested at a midday information convention.

Mayor Cavalier Johnson stated town imposed a curfew for the downtown space requiring everybody age 20 or youthful to be off the road by 11 p.m. for Saturday and Sunday. Further police patrols are also deliberate.

“We can’t have that on this metropolis, nor anyplace else on this state, nor anyplace else on this nation,” Johnson stated.

The mayor didn’t cite any plans to ban downtown watch events for Sunday afternoon’s Sport 7. Although the sport is in Boston, 1000’s of followers typically congregate downtown to observe on big-screen TVs within the Deer District — an leisure space with quite a few bars and eating places the place giant crowds typically assemble to observe main sporting occasions.

Waldner stated three folks have been injured within the first taking pictures at 9:10 p.m. adjoining to the Deer District. They included a 16-year-old lady. One man is in custody.

Invoice Reinemann, a parking attendant at lot adjoining to Deer District, stated he heard gunshots, then noticed scores of individuals working away.

“It appeared like six to eight gunshots,” he stated “It was shut.”

At 10:30 p.m., one particular person was shot. No arrest was made, Waldner stated.

Seventeen extra folks have been injured in a taking pictures at 11:09 p.m. 5 of the injured have been armed and have been among the many 10 folks taken into custody, Waldner stated. Police have not but decided what set off the taking pictures.

“There have been a pair teams exchanging gunfire regardless of the unimaginable quantity of police presence that was downtown,” Waldner stated. “District 1 officers reported bullets whizzing previous their heads.”

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that damaged glass, empty alcohol bottles, single sneakers and two bloody shirts littered the streets within the chaotic aftermath.

Jake O’Kane, 25, of Appleton, Wisconsin, attended the playoff recreation along with his girlfriend. Afterward, they noticed the commotion from the primary taking pictures, then went a number of blocks away and spent a pair hours at bars earlier than deciding to take a Lyft journey to a restaurant.

O’Kane stated they have been outdoors ready for his or her journey “then abruptly you hear the ‘pop, pop, pop’ behind you.”

O’Kane stated he heard about 20 photographs earlier than he was capable of seize 22 extra on video. He estimated the gunfire was a number of hundred yards away from his group.

When the driving force pulled up lower than two minutes later, “I stated, bro — drive!” O’Kane stated.

The Bucks stated in a press release Friday night time that no shootings occurred contained in the Deer District, the place an estimated 11,000 followers who couldn’t get inside the world gathered to observe the sport.

Milwaukee was amongst a number of U.S. cities that noticed file numbers of killings in 2021, most of them involving weapons. The checklist additionally included Philadelphia, Indianapolis and others.

Specialists consider stress and pressures brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the violence. Johnson blamed easy accessibility to weapons.

“A central a part of the issue is the truth that people simply get their arms on weapons,” Johnson stated. “This isn’t strictly a Milwaukee downside. Throughout the nation we have seen an increase in shootings, each deadly and non-fatal.”

Of Milwaukee’s 193 killings in 2021, 180 have been by firearms. One other 873 folks have been wounded in shootings, in keeping with police information.

This 12 months, the tempo is even worse. Milwaukee has already recorded 77 killings, a 40% improve from the identical time in 2021. The variety of nonfatal shootings this 12 months is 264, two lower than from the identical time a 12 months in the past.

O’Kane stated he worries in regards to the route Milwaukee goes.

“Are we going to go to a different recreation once more, if we win? Yeah, I’m nonetheless going to finish up going to Bucks video games. However are we going to be partying out afterward outdoors? Hell no, not an opportunity.”