Milwaukee teen with ghost gun killed two 15-year-olds during robbery, complaint says

Elliot Hughes, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Alejandro Sanchez, left, and Monroe Weso, right, both 15, were identified as victims in a double homicide.
Alejandro Sanchez, left, and Monroe Weso, right, both 15, were identified as victims in a double homicide.

A 15-year-old boy has been accused in last weekend’s shooting that killed two teens of the same age, allegedly using a ghost gun he took from a family member, according to a complaint filed Thursday.

Thursday, prosecutors charged Christopher N. Scott in adult court on two counts of first-degree reckless homicide and one count of armed robbery. He's not in custody and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Ghost guns have become a growing issue for law enforcement in Milwaukee, where police have recovered more every year since 2020. They are firearms that are unserialized and untraceable, assembled from separate pieces that can be bought without a background check.

The shooting, reported at 10:30 p.m. Saturday in the 1400 block of West Halsey Avenue on Milwaukee’s south side, killed Alejandro Sanchez and Monroe Weso, both 15.

"It’s problematic on many levels, but we have an issue with guns in Milwaukee," said Ald. Scott Spiker, who represents the area. "It’s really disturbing that youth are having this sort of easy access to guns."

Children’s access to firearms in general — serialized or not — has been of concern in Milwaukee and the nation, especially since a historic wave of gun-buying occurred at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies have shown a correlation between gun ownership and higher rates of youth firearm deaths and injuries.

Youth homicides and injuries from guns have doubled in Milwaukee in the years since the pandemic. And in 2020, firearm-related injuries surpassed motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of death for people between 1 and 19 years old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Legislation that would mandate universal background checks and encourage safe storage of firearms by adults hasn't gained traction in the Republican-controlled state Legislature.

“If they want a gun, they can get a gun,” community activist Tracey Dent said, when asked to describe children’s accessibility to guns in Milwaukee. “People who have guns, they don’t always pay attention. Next thing they know, it’s gone.

“We have to start locking up these guns and using these guns' locks.”

The families of Sanchez and Weso described the boys as best friends who were outgoing, friendly, creative and loved. Both families have set up GoFundMe pages to pay for memorial services.

Shooting happened during alleged robbery

Two bouquets of flowers and a figurine of a frog rest against a tree on the corner of West Halsey Avenue and South 14th Street, where two 15-year-olds were killed during a shooting on Saturday night in Milwaukee.
Two bouquets of flowers and a figurine of a frog rest against a tree on the corner of West Halsey Avenue and South 14th Street, where two 15-year-olds were killed during a shooting on Saturday night in Milwaukee.

The complaint described how Scott brought a gun to a sleepover with two other males, one of them 13, and told them he wanted to rob Sanchez for marijuana.

Police previously announced the arrest of a 13-year-old boy in connection to the shooting. He hadn't been charged as of Friday morning.

The 13-year-old told police the three males were going to meet with Sanchez and “stick him up,” the complaint said. The gun was never supposed to be fired.

Scott told the 13-year-old the gun was a ghost gun from Minnesota and he stole it from a cousin, the complaint said. A long magazine was attached to it.

During the robbery, Sanchez and Scott got into a physical struggle over the gun. Weso appeared to try intervening after Scott got control of the gun and began shooting, the complaint said.

The incident was captured on a nearby surveillance camera.

Prevalence of guns linked to youth firearm injury

Milwaukee police recovered a ghost gun for the first time in 2020, and totaled eight that year. Ghost guns have grown in prevalence each year since then, with 182 recovered in 2023, according to the Milwaukee Police Department. Sixty-two have been recovered this year, as of Thursday.

Meanwhile, there were also record-setting gun sales nationwide in 2020.

In each of the four years since the arrival of the pandemic, Milwaukee has had an average of 105 children injured by guns and 24 killed in homicides, the majority of which are committed with guns. Those numbers doubled from the four years prior to 2020.

The trend has slowed in 2024, along with the city’s overall gun violence and homicide rate, perhaps a result of a return to in-person youth programming and social services, and the rollout of federal aid meant to prevent community violence.

But law enforcement and community members continue to express concern about the accessibility of firearms to children.

In October, the Medical College of Wisconsin published a study that correlated a rise in the manufacturing of 9mm pistols with a rise in youth firearm deaths and injuries.

From 2001 to 2020, firearm deaths and injuries for children increased more than 48% and 69%, respectively, the study said. At the same time, pistol production in the U.S. increased by nearly 1,300%.

A 2006 study by the Harvard School of Public Health found that for every one percentage point increase in household gun ownership, youth homicides by firearm increased by 2.8% to 3.8%, depending on the age.

Where to find free gun locks

Contact Elliot Hughes at elliot.hughes@jrn.com or 414-704-8958. Follow him on X at @elliothughes12.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee teen with ghost gun killed two 15-year-olds, complaint says

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