On Tuesday, the Kroger in the Fern Creek neighborhood in Louisville looked like a party at the front entrance.
The Louisville Metro Police Department's Community Engagement Unit held their monthly community engagement event in partnership with the grocery chain. It's an opportunity for police to meet the community and address their concerns.
Even though it seems like a fun time, there is a serious tone in their attempt to raise awareness about gun violence within the city.
They are making us aware of gun violence and how rampant it is not only in Louisville, but around the country, and how important it is that if you do own a gun to lock it up," said Laura Williams, a Fern Creek resident who was provided a free lock from LMPD. "And I'm going to take this and give it to a person I know that has a gun and let them know that they need to be more responsible.
Sgt. Tony Sacra with the unit said they also provide free information on other crimes such as internet safety for children and online scams targeting the elderly.
"We're giving away 150 free meals," Sacra said. "We're going to be there providing free gun locks, free crime prevention, answering the tough questions. Come out and have a conversation with us. We'll discuss anything you want to discuss, and we'll do what we can to make the neighborhood safer for you and your family."
This engagement comes just after the city's west neighborhoods experienced chaos earlier Tuesday morning.
LMPD confirmed that a 16-year-old boy was shot in the leg on Duncan Street. Also during the early morning hours, officials reported two shootings around the same time. One on South 39th Street where a 13-year-old boy was found also suffering from a bullet to the leg, and on 38th and Broadway Streets, police found a man who had been shot dead.
"It's just ridiculous," said William Commons, another resident who spoke with LMPD at the event. "Algonquin Pool opened, beautiful pool, turn around next day with shooting, you know, really?"
According to data given by Mayor Craig Greenberg earlier this month, overall gun violence is dropping in the city. The information revealed in the first half of 2025 shows homicides are down 36% and nonfatal shootings are down 30% compared to last year.
The data is clear: our efforts to combat gun violence through neighborhood outreach, collaboration with community groups, and stronger law enforcement are resulting in fewer shootings and homicides in Louisville," said Greenberg. "But as I've said since day one, even one victim is too many, and we will continue to double down on our efforts to stop the violence.
WHAS11 asked both Williams and Commons if they believe in the statistics provided by the Metro Government.
I don't [know] because every day you hear about gun violence, every day, and we need to go a month without it," Williams said. "A month or two months or a year without it totally. Until we can get the message out to everyone. Whether it be in our schools, whether it be parents taking the initiative to be proactive in their guns and even other weapons. They need to be more proactive.
"The gun violence is just getting out of control," Commons said. "But the laws need to be stiffer and they need to open the juvenile center back up."
Although there seems to be distrust in the numbers, Sacra said they do not plan to stop their commitment to the community.
The LMPD's next community engagement event will take place in two weeks in the Portland neighborhood Kroger. They encourage families to visit them from 6-8 p.m. to discuss their concerns about gun violence.
► Contact reporter Jose Alonzo at jalonzo@whas11.com or on Twitter.
► Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com , or visit our Facebook page or X feed .
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar