Racine shooting: What we know so far

Racine police are investigating a quintuple shooting that took place earlier this morning near Prospect and Hill streets. Police were called to the scene around 2:30 AM. 

The official press release notes, “Shooting On Friday, August 26, 2022 at approximately 0231 hours officers responded to the 1900 block of Prospect St in reference to several shots being fired.”

Also Read | Henderson, Kentucky homeless shelter shooting leaves 2 dead, many injured

There were five victims, four males and one female, authorities said. Three of them have been transported to Milwaukee and their status remains unknown at this time. As per the Racine police, “investigators are interested in any additional information that anyone may have about this incident”. 

No deaths have been reported yet and the status of the other two individuals remains unclear as well. The suspect remains at large for now.

Racine is a city located in Racine County, Wisconsin, on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River. Initially, the area was occupied by Native Americans. The city has been combating a rise in gun violence. Officials have been dealing with an increase in homicide numbers, which they say have doubled in 2022. The city’s mayor commented, “This cannot stand as the new normal for the City of Racine. Gun violence cannot be tolerated in the City of Racine”, adding, “We have to support the Racine Police Department and its efforts to keep the community safe”, as per Fox. 

Also Read | Jackson Hole Symposium 2022: 5 key takeaways from Jerome Powell’s speech

The issue of gun violence extends to the entire state of Wisconsin, which has some of the weakest gun laws, as per Everytown, a non-profit focused on gun safety norms in the US. On average, 641 people in Wisconsin die each year from gun violence, and yet the state does not require any background checks for the purchase of a firearm.