Memorial for fallen Officer Peter Jerving growing outside of Milwaukee Police District 4

NOW: Memorial for fallen Officer Peter Jerving growing outside of Milwaukee Police District 4
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MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- It was a dark day in Milwaukee on Tuesday, community members paying their respects for fallen Officer Peter Jerving outside of the Milwaukee Police District 4 station.

"He's a brother, I worked with him," said a community member who did not want to be named.

The man said he was two blocks away from the scene when he heard gunshots, devastated by the news of Officer Jerving's passing.

Maria Herrera and Darlene Jose, both volunteers for the police department, made time to mourn the loss of the officer.

"It was shocking because I live on the south side, where it happened, so I automatically thought it was an officer in our area and I was heartbroken until we found out today it was from District 4. But it still hurts because it's an officer, we volunteer with officers," said Jose.


Frank Cooper, a man with no ties to the police department, moved by the tragic death, added his own flowers to the memorial. He said this violence needs to stop, and it's going to take everybody in the community to change that.

"It's an effort. It’s a community thing. Not just people in law enforcement, it's people in the community. Churches, civic groups, everyone," said Cooper.

Herrera said change starts within the household, as the suspect was 19-year-old Terrell Thompson.

"Parents got to be more stricter with their kids, especially this kid is so young to be out there at that hour, it's sad," said Herrera.

Herrera said this tragedy is just a reminder of the sacrifices the men and women in uniform make every day.

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