Mayor Rhodes-Conway’s Statement on the Eastside Shooting

Madison experienced another senseless shooting today on the Eastside. Today’s incident is made even more painful because a child was a victim of the shooting. An eleven year-old child was struck by a bullet while traveling in a car that was involved in a shooting along East Washington Avenue. She sustained critical injuries.

Gun violence is always senseless, but it never feels more so than when something like this happens. My deepest condolences go out to this child and her family as they are now living through every family’s worst nightmare.

This senseless violence must stop. The acts of a few people trying to settle scores are wreaking havoc on our community and destroying lives. I urge anybody who has information about this or any incident to step up and share what they know anonymously. I know that may be tough, but not doing so could result in more children getting hurt. If you know something, you can help prevent another shooting and lives lost.

We must tackle this immediately and from multiple angles. The Police Department is working hard to find those responsible and hold them accountable, and I appreciate the hard work they are doing. I will advocate for common sense gun laws, and for gun owners to act responsibly to prevent stolen guns hitting the streets. My staff has been working every day to build on proven strategies to prevent violence in our community. These investments will not solve the problem overnight, but that makes them no less important.

It will take an entire community to put an end to this violence. If you have information about incidents of gun violence in Madison, please report it anonymously to Madison Area Crimestoppers at (608) 266-6014 or p3tips.com.