Girl who was shot had asked if cops could protect her

MILWAUKEE — A week before a 9-year-old Wisconsin girl was shot as a gunbattle raged outside her home, a Milwaukee police captain jumped rope with her.

The girl asked the captain one question — whether or not police could keep her safe, Police Chief Edward Flynn said Thursday.

"Sadly, that question was answered tonight," said Flynn.

The girl remained in critical condition early Friday at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. A cousin outside the house on Friday morning said many relatives were at the hospital.

The girl was wounded just before 8:30 p.m. Thursday when two groups began shooting at each other, Flynn said.

The groups used rifles and pistols, and officers recovered more than 40 shell-casings, Flynn said.

The girl was inside a nearby home and was hit by a bullet that pierced a wall.

A week earlier, she and her family had met Capt. Shunta Boston-Smith, District 3 commander, who was on a neighborhood walk and spoke to them about their concerns.

Soon after the shooting Thursday night, an armed robbery suspect was fatally shot and a Milwaukee police officer was wounded in a separate incident on Milwaukee's northwest side. The round hit the officer's ballistic vest, and he has since been treated at a hospital for his injuries and released.

Flynn said officers were responding to a report of an armed robbery at an auto parts store and encountered a masked gunman exiting the business.

A foot chase ensued during which the gunman fired at pursuing officers, who returned fire.

The officer was struck in the chest and two other officers continued to chase the suspect, who fired at them again. They then shot the gunman, who was died at the scene, the chief said.

The injured officer is a 38-year-old man with six years on the Police Department.

"It's been a stressful night for our officers; it's been a bloody night in which we've encountered high-quality firearms, high-capacity firearms being used wantonly by our criminal class," Flynn said.

"It's a miracle that our officer is alive and it's a tragedy that little girl is suffering from serious gun wounds through absolutely no fault of her own," he said.

Contributing: Jesse Garza, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Follow Ashley Luthern on Twitter: @aluthern