Bursts of shots caught on audio sound like a 'war zone,' Milwaukee mayor says

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson on Tuesday compared the city to a "war zone" as he described bursts of rapidly fired gunshots from four separate incidents earlier this month.

"That's dozens and dozens of rounds. ... To me, that sounds like a war zone," he told the Rotary Club of Milwaukee.

The audio from Shotspotter, a detection system that alerts police to gunfire, captured shots from the early morning hours of May 6 just south of Historic Mitchell Street, according to his office. In one audio clip, 25 rounds were captured in just six seconds.

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Earlier that night, in the area of the 1200 block of South Cesar Chávez Drive, separate police-involved shootings left two people wounded nearby.

Johnson told those gathered Tuesday that the shots reflected the challenges Milwaukee police confront.

Police announced last year that they would be deploying special units dedicated to responding to Shotspotter alerts in targeted neighborhoods through the end of summer — an initiative that they will replicate this year. The program, known as Operation Summer Guardian, is meant to shorten the time it takes police to respond to alerts of gunfire.

Some argue the system leads to more aggressive police tactics and can be inaccurate.

Johnson on Tuesday slammed people who fire off guns.

"I don't understand a couple of things: Why people think it's OK to go and shoot guns off like that, either in the air or towards other people in a densely populated city," Johnson told the Journal Sentinel. "I don't understand the rationale behind that."

And, he added, he did not understand why officials at the state and federal levels have not made guns harder to access for people who misuse them.

He highlighted city efforts to respond to violence like events that promote positive initiatives residents can be involved in during the summer, the Shotspotter program, law enforcement, and the Office of Violence Prevention. But, he said, the city's ability to respond or to be in the community proactively would be diminished if the city does not get additional resources.

City and Milwaukee County leaders are pushing state officials to boost shared revenue and allow an increased sales tax so both local governments can continue to fund local services on which residents rely. At the city, that includes police.

As written, legislation passed by the Assembly and now before the Senate would allow the City of Milwaukee to levy a 2% sales tax while Milwaukee County could add a 0.375% sales tax on top of its current 0.5% tax, if voters approve.

Elliot Hughes and Ashley Luthern of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.

Alison Dirr can be reached at adirr@jrn.com.