TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — On Thursday, community members, leaders and law enforcement met to discuss the rise of gun violence in Tallahassee and how to put a stop to it. But, within just a few hours another homicide occurred, involving 17 and 18-year-old young men.
It's the first month of the year and so far there have been 12 shootings, nine people shot, and five deaths in Tallahassee, with a majority of them happening on the southside of town.
The community is asking for positive interactions with law enforcement that goes beyond the stop. Members are proposing ideas to bridge the gap between residents and those who swore an oath to protect them.
“Engagement beyond the stop so that means the stop from a police officer interaction with a student or any community member in this community should go beyond a stop," Carrington Wingham said.
Wingham is the student body president at Florida A&M University and feels having more activities between cops and people could build a better relationship.
“Officers in their uniforms just being present and being active and such the engagement with the community that’s what we have to do to be that first step," Wingham added.
It is a first step Whigham hopes will not only bridge the gap but also help stop the violence that so many say is troubling the community.
