Joe Romano's son

Joe Romano, Milwaukee resident, age 59

"My son, Bobby, was a cop in Milwaukee. He was only 27 when he was shot and killed on duty in November 2007. He was trying to break up a fight between two big groups of kids on the corner of 23rd street and Cherry street. All of a sudden, one of the kids comes out shooting with one of those TEC-9 semi-automatics on a shoulder strap. Did you know those things are made so they don't hold a fingerprint? That's criminal. Anyway, my son leaped to shove a bunch of the other kids out of the way and was shot three times in the chest and stomach. He died right there in the street. Bled to death. The thought of it still chokes me up."

Leonard Elroy's story

Leonard Elroy, Milwaukee resident, age 18

"I'm in this wheelchair because I got shot during a fight a couple years ago. We were hanging on the corner at 23rd and Cherry when a bunch of my buddies started callin' out some other guys. All of a sudden things just took off. I heard shooting, and felt myself fall down. I don't remember anything from there."

Personal testimonies

Welcome to the interactive blog provided by the Victims of Gun Violence. Feel free to contribute with stories and thoughts about gun violence in Wisconsin. Also, we encourage readers to respond to different postings in order to help those that have been victims of gun violence.

Don't feel like publishing your story to the website, but would like to contact a representative for advice? Contact Stephen Watson at watson@vgv.org.

Stephen Watson
Victims of Gun Violence
watson@vgv.org