“I parked around the corner so that I could have a moment. And I remember sitting in the car and I just prayed by myself because I’m like I have no idea what I’m doing, no idea what I’m walking into, I don’t have kids...” 

Say a tornado hit Milwaukee today. What would people need? Temporary shelter, house repairs, family counseling, financial planning support. Well, when there’s a drive-by shooting and a little girl dies ­the family needs a lot of the same things. Although shootings aren’t natural... emergency disaster relief strategies completely apply. This is one way Milwaukee chaplains with the Salvation Army have been trained to deal with trauma.

PHOTO CAPTION: Salvation Army police chaplaincy program coordinator Pastor Alexis Twito comforts Destiny Boone the mother of 9 year old Za’layia Jenkins. Za’layia was shot and killed in May 2016. Image credit: Emily Forman