Jacob Carpenter

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Five men were killed in shootings within a nine-hour span Friday evening and Saturday morning, Milwaukee police and the medical examiner's office said.

"We had a horrible night last night," Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said Saturday afternoon.

The men, all between the ages of 21 and 36, were killed in three separate shootings that stretched from 6 p.m. Friday to 3 a.m. Saturday. No suspects are in custody and no motives were disclosed in any of the homicides. The names of the victims haven't been released.

Barrett said the preliminary investigation revealed nothing to suggest the shootings were related, but a definitive determination will require additional work by police.

Police and Barrett released a few details in each case, though much remains unknown about the shootings.

In the first case, a 33-year-old man was fatally shot while driving on N. Sherman Blvd. near W. Burleigh St. The victim crashed his vehicle into another vehicle, causing minor injuries to the occupants. Barrett said police officers were in the vicinity at the time.

"They could hear the gunshots that were occurring just a block away from Sherman Park," Barrett said.

In the second case, a 21-year-old and a 23-year-old were killed in a robbery-related shooting about 1 a.m. near W. State and N. 23rd streets. One man died at the scene, the other at a hospital, police said.

In the third case, four people were shot when gunfire broke out in the parking lot of All Stars, a tavern on W. Fond du Lac Ave. near N. 40th St. A 36-year-old man and a 34-year-old man died, while a 30-year-old man and 26-year-old woman were hospitalized with nonfatal injuries.

"I know there have been problems at that tavern before," Barrett said. "I'm going to do everything I can, and I'm sure the council will, too, to look at that tavern and see what the track record is."

Barrett said officers determined a gun with a 30-round magazine was used in the shooting.

A fourth shooting in the city resulted in two men being hospitalized with nonfatal injuries. A 23-year-old and a 25-year-old were shot about 9:30 p.m. Friday near W. North Ave. and N. 34th St., police said.

There have now been 81 homicides in the city this year, compared with 95 at the same time last year, according to preliminary Milwaukee Journal Sentinel data. The 81 deaths only account for those classified as homicides under the FBI's Uniform Crime Report. Another seven killings have been reported, but they do not fall under the Uniform Crime Report homicide definition.

Barrett spoke Saturday before a march to promote peace in the Garden Homes neighborhood, about two miles northeast from the site of two shootings.

"I'm determined as ever," Barrett said. "I'm angry about what happened last night. But we're going to work together as a community to make sure this is a city where people can be safe."