Pittsburgh leaders address violent summer and call for community cooperation
PITTSBURGH —
Pittsburgh’s chief of police and local outreach groups gathered at a news conference hosted by B-PEP to address rising violent crime and discuss solutions, concluding with a vigil honoring those lost to gun violence in the city over the past two years.
“Will you participate when our babies are dying on our watch?” said Pastor Dorothy Stubbs of New Evangelistic Ministries, urging parents to take action as the city faces what many are calling a particularly violent summer.
Will Thompkins, whose nephew was shot and killed in July, shared his personal experience.
“With a young brother, and then 48 hours later, he’s deceased. Get that phone call at 3 o’clock in the morning. People howling, screaming. It’s tough,” Thompkins said.
Police Chief Jason Lando reported that police have responded to 70 shootings so far this year, compared to 80 at this time last year. However, five more shootings in 2026 have been deadly compared to 2025.
“The only amount of shootings that’s acceptable is zero,” Lando said.
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The chief said that a major obstacle in solving crimes is a lack of cooperation.
“For the most part, we know that these are situations where individuals know each other. There’s a connection, a beef, a relationship, and people don’t want to come forward. And I get it. Sometimes it’s out of fear, but that’s why we need our community to come forward, those violence interrupter groups to come forward,” Lando said.
The event also highlighted progress in combating teen violence. Last month, public safety officials, faith leaders, educators, and families collaborated on strategies to address the issue. At Monday night’s meeting, public safety officials reported on a “teen takeover” they and the community successfully prevented using those strategies.
“They said, if the kids are going to take over, we’re going to be a part of the takeover,” said the Rev. Cornell Jones, assistant director of community affairs for the Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety. “He had the kids doing burpees, and there was another person that said, ‘I’m going to bring some chicken.’ Another person brought some snacks and some things like that. Another person brought some water.
“Society makes us think that it’s a law enforcement piece. It’s not just an outreach piece; it’s the village at large.”
Lando and other leaders expressed frustration over repeat offenders being released and escalating their crimes to extreme violence. They emphasized the need for changes in the court system to address this issue.
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