MILWAUKEE — A Thursday night shooting left two Milwaukee police officers injured; neighbors in the area were reeling Friday, as they watched the investigation continue from their front doors.

Edward Mendoza was just getting home from work around 9 p.m. when he heard the shots ring out.

“All of a sudden I see all these police officers come by,” Mendoza said. “One officer said, ‘Just stay on your porch. Don't go nowhere yet.’”

When Mendoza heard two police officers had been shot, with one critically injured, he said he immediately called his son to check in. His son is also a Milwaukee police officer.

“It’s scary for him,” Mendoza said. “When he's out there on the street patrolling, hopefully nothing like this happens.”

Many neighbors in the area near North 24th Place and Garfield Avenue said this was just the latest in a string of violent incidents.

This was the fourth shooting in Milwaukee this year where a police officer was shot, according to the Milwaukee Police Association (MPA). 

Community activist Tracey Dent said his heart sank when he learned what had happened.

“I said, ‘Oh no, not again,’” Dent said.

He said the community can’t take much more violence and heartbreak.

“It separates us,” Dent said. “We're too scared to even say hi to each other, watch out for each other and things like that.”

He said that division in the community will only make things worse. Dent said getting guns off the streets and putting an end to the violence is an effort that will require everyone to work together.

“The community has to take a stand against the violence,” he said. “So if they see something, they know something, they got to say something.”

Mendoza said he’s lived in this neighborhood for 58 years and has watched the violence slowly increase. He said he hopes these violent incidents, especially against police officers like his son, are put to an end.

“They're not here for that,” Mendoza said. “They're here to protect us, around the corner to stand by your side, help you out.”