Here & Now

Milwaukee Attorney Michael Hupy On Gun Death Of 9-Year-Old

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

GUN VIOLENCE IN MILWAUKEE CONTINUES ITS TOLL. THIS WEEK NINE-YEAR-OLD ZALAYIA JENKINS DIED FOLLOWING A SHOOTING EARLIER THIS MONTH. POLICE SAY A BULLET CAME THROUGH HER HOUSE AS TWO GROUPS OF PEOPLE WERE SHOOTING IN THE STREET. AUTHORITIES ARE LOOKING FOR SUSPECTS. THE DEATH OF THIS CHILD ALL TO SIMILAR TO THE 2014 DEATH OF FIVE-YEAR-OLD LAYLAH PETERSEN, ALSO KILLED INSIDE A HOME WHEN THE HOUSE WAS SPRAYED IN BULLETS IN A CASE WHERE THE SUSPECTS ALLEGEDLY SHOT UP THE WRONG HOUSE IN RETALIATION FOR ANOTHER CRIME. IN THE WAKE OF THESE DEATHS AND OTHER SHOOTINGS INVOLVING CHILDREN, A MILWAUKEE ATTORNEY HAS STEPPED UP. WELL-KNOWN ATTORNEY MICHAEL HUPY HAS OFFERED A $25,000 REWARD FOR INFORMATION LEADING TO THE ARREST AND CONVICTION OF THE SUSPECTS IN THE ZALAYIA JENKINS HOMICIDE. MICHAEL HUPY JOINED US EARLIER. WE STARTED BY ASKING WHY HE’S OFFERING A REWARD.

MICHAEL HUPY:

I THINK I’M OFFERING THIS REWARD FOR THE SAME REASON THAT I HAVE OFFERED TWO OTHER REWARDS IN SIMILAR CASES IN THE LAST YEAR. AND THAT’S BECAUSE I DON’T BELIEVE WE CAN TOLERATE A SOCIETY WHERE SMALL CHILDREN ARE SHOT AND KILLED BY BULLETS COMING THROUGH THE WALLS AND WINDOWS OF THEIR HOUSE. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT IS YOUR INFORMATION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THE $25,000 THAT YOU’VE PUT UP AND THE ADDITIONAL $10,000 FROM THE FBI HAS RESULTED IN ANY TIPS? DO YOU GET INFORMATION LIKE THAT?

MICHAEL HUPY:

I DON’T GET INFORMATION LIKE THAT. WE JUST PUT UP THE REWARD A COUPLE DAYS AGO. AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAS OCCURRED, IF ANYTHING, SINCE THEN. BUT WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT IT WILL RESULT IN THE PEOPLE WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS DEATH BEING BROUGHT TO JUSTICE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

NOW, YOU SAID THAT THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST REWARD THAT YOU HAVE OFFERED. YOU HAVE OFFERED TWO OTHERS. WHAT WERE THOSE?

MICHAEL HUPY:

UNFORTUNATELY, ABOUT A YEAR AGO WE OFFERED A REWARD IN THE DEATH OF A FIVE-YEAR-OLD GIRL WHO WAS KILLED BY A BULLET COMING THROUGH THEIR HOUSE WHEN SHE WAS SITTING ON HER GRANDFATHER’S LAP. AND THE POLICE DID SOLVE THAT CRIME, BUT THEY DID NOT NEED MY REWARD TO DO THAT. THEY HAD OTHER INFORMATION AND OTHER LEADS THEY DEVELOPED. LAST SUMMER, A YOUNG MAN BY THE NAME OF ALFREDO BATISTO WAS SHOT WHEN HE WAS SLEEPING IN HIS HOME ON 22nd AND LAPHAM IN MILWAUKEE. HE SURVIVED THAT SHOOTING. UNFORTUNATELY, LAYLAH PETERSEN AND MISS JENKINS DID NOT SURVIVE THEIR INJURIES.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

THE LITTLE BOY WHO WAS SHOT AND THE REWARD THAT YOU PUT UP FOR THAT ONE, WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THAT CASE, TO YOUR KNOWLEDGE?

MICHAEL HUPY:

THAT CASE HAS NOT BEEN SOLVED. HE WAS SHOT IN THE LEG WHEN HE WAS SLEEPING IN HIS HOME AND HE’S RECOVERED PRETTY MUCH FROM THAT INJURY. HE’S SINCE THEN TURNED 11.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT IS IT LIKE FOR PEOPLE IN MILWAUKEE TO SEE THESE CASES OF CHILDREN BEING SHOT WHILE INSIDE THEIR OWN HOMES?

MICHAEL HUPY:

HEARTBREAKING. ABSOLUTELY HEARTBREAKING. IT COMES OUT OF THE BLUE. IT COMES FROM NOWHERE. AND A SMALL CHILD THAT THEY LOVED IS SUDDENLY DEAD.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS GOING ON WHEN IT COMES TO THIS KIND OF GUN VIOLENCE IN YOUR CITY?

MICHAEL HUPY:

TO BE FRANK WITH YOU, IRRESPONSIBLE PARENTING. PARENTS WHO DO NOT BRING THEIR CHILDREN UP TO DO THE RIGHT THING. PARENTS WHO LET THEIR CHILDREN GET INVOLVED IN GANGS AND DRUGS AND DON’T TAKE THE TIME NECESSARY TO BRING THEIR CHILDREN UP PROPERLY.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

AND WHY DO YOU THINK A REWARD IS THE RIGHT WAY TO GO WITH THIS? I MEAN, IS THERE SOME ISSUE WITH PEOPLE BEING RELUCTANT TO COME FORWARD EVEN IF THEY KNOW SOMETHING?

MICHAEL HUPY:

THERE IS. PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO, AS THEY SAY, SNITCH. AND WE DIDN’T PUT UP THE REWARD IN THESE CASES UNTIL THE POLICE TOLD ME THEY WERE COMPLETELY OUT OF ANY LEADS. AND WE HOPE THAT A REWARD PUT UP BY MYSELF AND PUT UP BY THE FBI WOULD LEAD TO SOME NEW LEADS THAT THE POLICE COULD FOLLOW UP ON. AND MAKE AN ARREST AND BRING THESE PEOPLE TO JUSTICE, LIKE THEY DID IN THE LAYLAH PETERSEN CASE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT ELSE CAN PEOPLE DO?

MICHAEL HUPY:

TO MAKE SOCIETY BETTER OR TO BRING THESE PEOPLE TO JUSTICE?

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

BOTH.

MICHAEL HUPY:

I THINK WE HAVE TO COOPERATE MORE WITH THE POLICE WHEN THERE’S A SERIOUS CRIME LIKE THIS. I THINK WE HAVE TO AVOID SITUATIONS WHERE THERE’S GOING TO BE A CONFRONTATION WITH OTHER PEOPLE. I THINK WE HAVE TO SPEND OUR TIME PRODUCTIVELY. HELP OUR CHILDREN SPEND THEIR TIME PRODUCTIVELY. ENCOURAGE PROGRAMS THAT WORK WITH YOUNG PEOPLE AND KEEP THEM OUT OF TROUBLE AND KEEP THEM DOING THINGS THAT ARE PRODUCTIVE AND WILL LEAD THEM ON THE RIGHT PATH.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

DOES THIS CIRCUMSTANCE, THE LATEST ONE AND THE OTHERS AND THE SHOOTINGS AND THE HOMICIDES IN MILWAUKEE, DOES THIS MAKE YOU MORE ANGRY OR MORE SAD?

MICHAEL HUPY:

PROBABLY MORE SAD. AND PROBABLY GIVES ME A FEELING THAT THIS IS SOMETHING WE CANNOT TOLERATE. WHEN THE SHOOTINGS GO THIS FAR, THAT INNOCENT CHILDREN IN THEIR OWN HOMES ARE KILLED. WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT SOMEONE WHO’S A DRUG DEALER AND IS MURDERED. WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT SOMEONE ON THE STREET WHO GETS CAUGHT IN A CROSSFIRE. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT SMALL CHILDREN KILLED IN THEIR OWN HOMES. THIS I DON’T BELIEVE WE CAN TOLERATE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

MICHAEL HUPY, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.

MICHAEL HUPY:

MY PLEASURE. THANK YOU.