In a scene that grew chaotic at times, hundreds of people gathered outside a Milwaukee house Tuesday where police were conducting an investigation into two missing teenage girls.
Milwaukee police were investigating at a residence in the 2100 block of North 40th Street related to reports that two girls, ages 13 and 15, had been missing since Sunday.
TV stations reported that the girls' family members said they were found safe Tuesday afternoon, but police spokeswoman Sgt. Sheronda Grant said the two had not been found as of 5 p.m.
Milwaukee police also said they were investigating a report of shots fired at the home around 11:15 a.m. No injuries were reported, and Grant said police are looking into how the report of the missing girls is related to the shots fired.
Police are also investigating whether the girls may have been victims of sex trafficking, Grant said.
"That's something that we are looking into," she said. "So that's under review. However I cannot confirm that that is the case."
Fueled by rumors spread on social media, a crowd grew near the home late Tuesday morning. Police officers stood outside the house as investigators worked inside, and some people were shouting at the officers, according to livestreams from the scene.
By mid-afternoon, the crowd had swelled to hundreds of onlookers. About 15 to 20 officers formed a line outside the house to keep the crowd back but left after investigators completed their work.
The crowd then surged toward the house, as some in the group wanted to look for evidence that supported the rumors of sex trafficking. Some broke into the house, while others smashed the windows of a vehicle parked on the property.
Local protest organizer Frank Sensabaugh — also known as Frank Nitty — talked to many of the angriest participants to defuse the situation.
Police wearing face shields and holding batons arrived and formed lines outside the house and on nearby streets.
Groups of people also began an effort to look for the girls in a nearby residence.
Around 5:45 p.m. a fire broke out at one of the houses. Fire crews were on the scene to extinguish the fire.
As crews were fighting the fire, police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray at some protesters, according to Sensabaugh’s livestream. Several people appeared to be injured, and volunteer medics were treating them — pouring milk on eyes and wrapping limbs.
Police also reported a boy and a girl, both 14, were shot near the scene around 5:45 p.m. and suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.
After 7 p.m., Sensabaugh and a small group of others began a protest march away from the scene. A caravan of cars followed.
Grant said the department wanted people to disperse but respects residents who protest peacefully.
The two girls are not considered critical missing and do not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert, Grant said.
Contact Sophie Carson at (414) 223-5512 or scarson@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @SCarson_News.
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