TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – The Tallahassee Urban League is speaking out after two deadly shootings within five days of each other rocked the community.
On Wednesday night, community members, law enforcement and the Tallahassee Urban League gathered to discuss gun violence in the community and ways everyone can work together to help put a stop to it.
Tallahassee Urban League president and CEO, Curtis Taylor, is calling for change after two men died from gun violence in the city since Saturday.
Jatives Moate died on Saturday outside Pockets Pool and Pub, and most recently, a man died in a shooting Wednesday morning on West Tharpe Street.
“We are at the point we need action, we’ve lost two citizens in a few days, and it could be somebody else next week,” Taylor said.
Taylor said he hopes the forum brings people together to finally declare that enough is enough.
“We want to hear people saying that we’re going to get involved, we want to hear people saying that ima be a street keeper in my community, I’m going to step up to the plate,” he said.
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Tallahassee Police Department officers and Leon County Sheriff’s Office deputies were among the panelists on Wednesday, answering questions from the community and sharing how people can help.
LCSO says the majority of gun violence cases they’ve been dealing with recently involve people between the ages of 13 and 33. Brad Riley, an LCSO sergeant, says parents need to have more conversations with their kids about guns.
“A lot of it is starting online. Being involved in your kids’ lives and understanding who and what they are talking to and what’s going on, and being nosey and recognizing who they are hanging out with and whatnot is going to be a big part of it,” Riley said.
John Sabo, a TPD officer, also shared the importance of gun safety education, speaking up when you see something, and using resources like Crime Solvers.
“The partnership with Crime Solvers has been huge, a lot of people do know things, a lot of people may have information that law enforcement doesn’t, and when they report those, that may be the key to the puzzle or might be something that just stops the shooting,” Sabo said.
The Tallahassee Police Department says since the start of the year, there have been five gun-related homicides in the area, including the two most recent shootings.
While officers say overall numbers have gone down, any loss of life is still too many.
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