Milwaukee has witnessed its share of tragedy, and the community is once again being called to action in the sobering aftermath of a violent incident that claimed the life of a local teenager. Marquis Champion was just 16 years old when he became a victim of a triple shooting last Monday near 79th and Hampton. The two others injured in the event are on a path to recovery, but for Champion’s family, there is a road of mourning ahead, as they grapple with a future absent of Marquis’s bright spirit and boundless potential.
Champion’s life, according to his family, was one of joy and promise, cut short far too soon. In a statement obtained by the City of Milwaukee website, an anguished relative described the Bay View High School student as a good kid who “wasn’t a troublemaker,” someone who “was full of life” and had “so many dreams ahead of him.” As the family seeks solace in privacy and prayer, they do not mourn alone. Their plea for justice echoes through a community grappling with the weight of senseless violence.
Justice may be on the horizon with the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office recently filing charges against Martell D. Haire in connection with the murder. The litany of charges against Haire is severe: one count of First-Degree Reckless Homicide, Use of a Dangerous Weapon, two counts of First-Degree Reckless Injury, Use of a Dangerous Weapon, one count of First-Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety, Use of a Dangerous Weapon and one count of Possession of a Firearm by a Felon. If convicted on all counts, Haire could face 141 years and six months in prison and be fined up to $250,000…