MADISON, Wis. -- Two 16-year-olds have been arrested on tentative homicide charges in connection with a fatal shooting on the city's West Side on Tuesday night.

The teens have been booked in the Dane County Jail as adults, according to police. A third juvenille was also arrested for possessing a firearm.

The shooting is Madison's first homicide case of the year, and police said they believe the victim was targeted.

Police said Karamee Collins Jr., 17, of Madison, was shot in the 2000 block of Leland Drive on the city's West Side just after 10 p.m. The victim was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Police said Wednesday that they have also recovered the weapon that investigators believe was used in the shooting.

Police said the shooting doesn't appear to be linked to recent shootings in the area. The shooting occurred a day after police held a press conference to announce they were stepping up their effort to fight growing gun violence in the city.

"Even if it's not linked to the other (shootings) we talked about on Monday, it's devastating for residents and disappointing for police as well," said Joel DeSpain, Madison police spokesman.

"It's frightening the volume of shots fired calls we respond to and the number of rounds that are being shot off around innocent people," Police Officer Mike Hanson said after Tuesday night's shooting. "It's something we take very seriously."

Neighborhood Shaken By Shooting

Collins' father, Karamee Collins Sr., said he believes the shooting of his son, a student at Memorial High School, was retaliation for a fight.

A criminal complaint alleges that in February Collins Jr. and another student from Memorial High School got into a fight in the neighborhood. The complaint alleges that Karamee Collins Sr. pulled someone away who tried to stop the fight.

Collins Jr. was charged with battery and his father was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a child.

But Collins Sr. said Wednesday that the fight didn't end there and that he believes the shooting was retaliation.

"Yeah (it was retaliation). And I was trying to tell police, and people don't believe me, because I sell drugs. I'm on camera saying it but, yeah it was."

But Madison police said Wednesday there is still no known motive and that they could not confirm the father's claim.

Madison police said the neighborhood is still shaken up after the shooting, as are the family members of the victim.

Family members said their hearts are heavy because of the senseless death.

"A 17-year-old boy, murdered like that, over something that probably don't make no sense," said Laquisha Bender, the victim's stepmother. "He was a great kid. He was an excellent football player. He teaches these little kids in the neighborhood how to play football. They didn't have to do him like that."

In the Meadowood neighborhood, Madison police officers like Mike Hanson who patrol the streets are trying to restore confidence in this community. But Hanson said the change won't happen without everyone getting involved.

"We need some focus, to not only this neighborhood but throughout the city for some of the challenged neighborhoods, to provide programming, provide social workers, provide avenues for a way out for some of these young adults that really don't think that far into the future," Hanson said.

The Meadowood Neighborhood Center, which opened in mid-February, said it has been seeing some progress.

More than 100 children are signed up for after-school programs at the center.

"We know that a lot of times kids get into negative activities and it happens in those after school hours," said Janet Dyer, superintendent for community programs for Madison School & Community Recreation. "What we're trying to do here at the Meadowood Neighborhood Center is provide opportunities for youth to be involved in positive activities after school and in the evenings."

The center's summer program will start later in June and is available for children of all ages. For more information, people can call 608-467-8360.

On Wednesday night, Madison police officers on a "safety walk" through the neighborhoods , talking with residents and children. The walk had already planned before the shooting and will continue through the summer.

Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said he'll meet with neighborhood leaders, residents and police about growing violence.

"We need defined community standards that are enforced by the community. We need to continue to find ways to reduce anonymity and build a sense of community throughout our neighborhoods," Cieslewicz said in a statement.

Stay tuned to WISC-TV and Channel 3000 for continuing coverage.