MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (CNN) -- Eight of 10 youths arrested for allegedly beating a handyman to death have confessed to taking part in the crime, Milwaukee police said Wednesday.
Six other youths are still being sought in the case.
Police Chief Arthur Jones said police are recommending first-degree intentional homicide charges be filed against most if not all of the 16, who range in age from 10 to 18 years old.
The handyman, Charlie Young Jr., 36, died of his injuries Tuesday night. He had been in critical condition since he was assaulted Sunday night.
The beating happened in a northside neighborhood around 11 p.m. Sunday after a 10-year-old boy was encouraged by a friend to throw an egg at Young, who was walking by, and hit him in the shoulder, Jones said. Young grabbed the boy's 14-year-old friend and punched him in the mouth, knocking out a tooth, Jones said.
The 14-year-old then called out to friends for help, at which point more than a dozen other youths -- all male -- began chasing Young.
The group caught him on the porch of a nearby house, where they beat him with baseball bats, shovels, broom handles, a tree limb, a folding chair, a plastic milk crate, and a rake, Jones said.
"It's a peer pressure thing," Chief Jones said. "It's a 'Come on, let's go do this,' and they got involved in it. And I certainly believe that they knew what they were doing was wrong."
The beating was so severe that blood was spattered onto the high porch ceiling. Young tried to get in the door of the home, Jones said, but the boys pulled him back and beat him again.
"It was unhuman -- unhuman what they did," said the victim's brother, Keith Young. "All I can say is, if they had any kind of heart about how they would want their family or brother treated, they wouldn't have [done] that."
Young's death increased the penalties facing the youths, who are now facing charges of first-degree homicide, Jones said. The district attorney's office will make the final decision on what charges to bring.
Jones said 10 of the youths were in custody Tuesday, including an 18-year-old who was being held as an adult. Police were seeking six more.
"We know who they are and we're going to find them, and they're going to be arrested," Jones said.
City Alderman Fred Gordon said the attack spotlights the lack of security in the neighborhood.
"Obviously, police presence in the neighborhood has to be upgraded and escalated so that people can clearly understand that that kind of activity won't be tolerated," Gordon said.
Jones called Young a victim of random violence and said the beating was not gang-related, though the Johnsons Park neighborhood where it happened is known as a high-crime area.
Gordon described the neighborhood as "depressed."
"There are a lot of vacant houses, boarded-up houses and vacant lots," he said. "A lot of kids are unsupervised a lot of the time. That is one of the major factors contributing to this situation."
Said Jones: "Obviously, when you have a 10-year-old out and engaged in this type of conduct, and then 13- and 14- and 15-year-olds, there is some parental responsibility that has not been taken care of and that's clear. It's clear to me."
Six other youths are still being sought in the case.
Police Chief Arthur Jones said police are recommending first-degree intentional homicide charges be filed against most if not all of the 16, who range in age from 10 to 18 years old.
The handyman, Charlie Young Jr., 36, died of his injuries Tuesday night. He had been in critical condition since he was assaulted Sunday night.
The beating happened in a northside neighborhood around 11 p.m. Sunday after a 10-year-old boy was encouraged by a friend to throw an egg at Young, who was walking by, and hit him in the shoulder, Jones said. Young grabbed the boy's 14-year-old friend and punched him in the mouth, knocking out a tooth, Jones said.
The 14-year-old then called out to friends for help, at which point more than a dozen other youths -- all male -- began chasing Young.
The group caught him on the porch of a nearby house, where they beat him with baseball bats, shovels, broom handles, a tree limb, a folding chair, a plastic milk crate, and a rake, Jones said.
"It's a peer pressure thing," Chief Jones said. "It's a 'Come on, let's go do this,' and they got involved in it. And I certainly believe that they knew what they were doing was wrong."
The beating was so severe that blood was spattered onto the high porch ceiling. Young tried to get in the door of the home, Jones said, but the boys pulled him back and beat him again.
"It was unhuman -- unhuman what they did," said the victim's brother, Keith Young. "All I can say is, if they had any kind of heart about how they would want their family or brother treated, they wouldn't have [done] that."
Young's death increased the penalties facing the youths, who are now facing charges of first-degree homicide, Jones said. The district attorney's office will make the final decision on what charges to bring.
Jones said 10 of the youths were in custody Tuesday, including an 18-year-old who was being held as an adult. Police were seeking six more.
"We know who they are and we're going to find them, and they're going to be arrested," Jones said.
City Alderman Fred Gordon said the attack spotlights the lack of security in the neighborhood.
"Obviously, police presence in the neighborhood has to be upgraded and escalated so that people can clearly understand that that kind of activity won't be tolerated," Gordon said.
Jones called Young a victim of random violence and said the beating was not gang-related, though the Johnsons Park neighborhood where it happened is known as a high-crime area.
Gordon described the neighborhood as "depressed."
"There are a lot of vacant houses, boarded-up houses and vacant lots," he said. "A lot of kids are unsupervised a lot of the time. That is one of the major factors contributing to this situation."
Said Jones: "Obviously, when you have a 10-year-old out and engaged in this type of conduct, and then 13- and 14- and 15-year-olds, there is some parental responsibility that has not been taken care of and that's clear. It's clear to me."
