Barnes credits officers with saving a life in Madison double shooting

Madison Police Dept. Chief Shon Barnes gives an update on a double shooting on the city's north side the previous night.(WMTV/Jeremy Nichols)
Published: Jun. 30, 2022 at 4:16 PM CDT

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Madison’s police chief is crediting his officers with saving the lives of at least one of the teenagers who was shot Wednesday night in a vehicle parked outside a McDonald’s on the city’s north side.

Chief Shon Barnes’ comments came Thursday afternoon during a news conference in which he offered a few new details about the previous night’s shooting and the recent increase in firearm-related crimes. Recounting the shooting, which happened around 5:20 p.m. in the 2900 block of Dryden Drive, the chief explained that the officers were on the scene and trying to help the teens within minutes.

“I believe these methods saved a life yesterday. I’m fully convinced of that,” Barnes said, adding that both victims, who are 16 and 18 years old, are expected to survive.

The victims and the shooters were likely in the vehicle together at the time of the shooting, Barnes noted. They had driven away before the officers could get to the scene and no arrests have been made.

Madison Police Department is looking for two suspects in a shooting that injured two people earlier Wednesday afternoon on the city’s north side.

In the news conference, Barnes also pointed out gun-related crimes have been rising in Madison recently, even describing them as “commonplace over the past few days.”

At that point in the news conference, the chief explained there was another report of gunfire not long before that and his officers were still on scene and investigating. In that incident, shots were fired from one vehicle towards another.

“Again, this simply has to stop.”

Copyright 2022 WMTV. All rights reserved.