People take part in a prayer service near where Milwaukee police are investigating a homicide in which a man was shot in a car Monday near N. 47th and W. Center streets. Credit: Mark Hoffman

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Two shootings separated by three blocks and 15 minutes in Milwaukee's Sherman Park neighborhood left one man dead, another man wounded and police with more questions than answers Monday. Another man was wounded on the north side several hours later.

A 20-year-old man was shot while he was inside his car about 12:30 p.m. Monday near N. 47th and W. Center streets, Police Chief Edward Flynn said.

The man, who was known in the neighborhood as a drug dealer, was shot several times by an unknown person, Flynn said.

Robbery did not appear to be a motive because money was found on the front seat of the man's car, the chief said.

The man's vehicle came to rest at the corner of N. 47th and W. Center streets. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

"We do have some promising leads, and this very much appears to be connected to his involvement in the drug trade," Flynn said.

As police canvassed the blocks surrounding the homicide, officers interviewed people at a house on N. 47th St. and arrested an individual believed to be a felon in possession of a firearm.

Flynn said police were seeking a search warrant for the rest of the house to look for more firearms and said it was not known if there was a connection to the fatal shooting.

Just 15 minutes after the homicide, police were called to a shooting at N. 44th and W. Center streets. A 26-year-old man suffered one gunshot wound and was not cooperating with investigators, Flynn said.

That man had a criminal history of firearms violations and robbery. The chief said it was unclear if that shooting was related to the homicide.

Five hours later, an 18-year-old man was wounded on Milwaukee's north side, police said.

The man said he was walking in the 1200 block of W. North Ave. at 5:30 p.m. when he heard gunshots, according to a news release from the Milwaukee Police Department.

The man ducked to escape the gunfire before realizing he had been shot, the release said. He took himself to a hospital with a non-life-threatening wound, the release said. No arrests have been reported.

"This is the harsh reality of violence in our city," Flynn said. "It's deadly. It's facilitated by high-quality firearms illegally obtained and frequently legally obtained. It's overwhelmingly committed by people with criminal records against other people with criminal records who don't care how much jeopardy they put the children of their neighborhood in while they commit their crimes."

As Flynn updated reporters at the scene, Brother Malcolm Hunt and other clergy members of Pastors United joined hands with neighborhood residents and other bystanders to pray for understanding and comfort in knowing that "God doesn't make mistakes."

Hunt and the pastors also assisted at least one family member of the homicide victim. That family member declined to speak with reporters.

It was the third homicide in Milwaukee in as many days. Early Saturday, Milwaukee police were called to a double homicide at a party. On Monday, police identified the victims as Keenan M. Harris and Stevan L. Owens.

Harris, 20, and Owens, 22, were attending a party at an apartment in the 800 block of N. 22nd St. when a fight broke out just before 3 a.m., police said.

During the fight, shots were fired and hit both men, who died at the scene, authorities said.

Several people were arrested after the shooting on Saturday, but only one remained in custody on Monday, according to police.

As of Monday, no charges for that individual had been referred to the Milwaukee County district attorney's office.

Preliminary information shows that the party got out of hand with armed individuals present, and that's what led to the shooting, Flynn said Monday.

Both Hunt and Flynn referenced the protests unfolding in Ferguson, Mo., where an unarmed black teenager was shot and killed by a white police officer.

"It's time for us to stop talking about what somebody else is doing from a different race," Hunt said. "You had 31 children that have been shot this year, might be even a little bit more. Not one was shot by a white person, not one was shot by a white police officer."

"We need to start addressing what we're doing because we're killing one another," he said.