Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno said he's looking to reconvene a panel of community stakeholders later this week to discuss the ongoing rise of gun violence in the city.
The mayor's call to meet again comes as an up-tick in violent incidents has continued. There were two homicides in the city during the weekend of August 12, 2023, and a shooting at a residence Monday where a neighbor killed an adult and wounded two children, before turning the gun on himself.
The Republican reports there has been 23 homicides this year in Springfield, with most of those the result of fatal shootings.
Last month, a group, made up of community and religious leaders, city officials and law enforcement met to discuss remedies to curb gun violence.
Some ideas included increasing awareness about community and mental health services. Several at the meeting blamed judges for returning repeat violent offenders to the streets.
“These bad actors have not and do not take advantage of the multitude of proactive and preventative programs my administration funds in our schools, youth development, mental health, street outreach, jobs, community centers, re-entry programs, etc., just to name a few,” Sarno said in a July statement . “The only thing they would understand is incarceration,”.
Sarno went on to say that the conversation about ways to prevent gun violence needs to continue.
“I will continue to meet with community stakeholders to keep all our youth and young adults on a positive path, so that they know there is no need for them to go down a negative path,” he said.
Sarno said he’s spoken with the state’s secretary of public safety and security, Terrance Reidy. The mayor said Reidy pledged increased support from the Massachusetts State Police in the form of additional patrols. The mayor also said the city will continue to work with state and local law enforcement partners on the situation.
