(LEX 18) — This weekend saw mass shootings take place across the country, including in Louisville, Jacksonville and Boston.
In Louisville, authorities reported two people were killed and five others were injured after a shooting at a downtown restaurant, Southern Restaurant & Lounge.
"Too many families are having to bury their loved ones," Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg said on Sunday. "Too many children are being left without mothers and fathers, lost to senseless gun violence."
Locally, an early morning shooting in Lexington killed 26-year-old Malik Sleet.
It marked the 15th homicide investigation in the city in 2023.
By August 27 of 2022, the city had already seen 30 homicide investigations, marking a significant drop this year.
In a statement on Sunday, Devine Carama, director of the city's ONE Lexington anti-violence program, told LEX 18:
“Out of respect for the family, we will not speak directly to the city’s latest homicide publicly until we speak to the family in private, first. But what we will say is that gun violence in our community must stop! When someone is murdered, it creates generational trauma, mental health issues, financial hardships, and residual conflicts that ripple through our neighborhoods for years to come. So far this year, we have seen a 50 percent decrease in homicides (30 at this point in 2022 and only 15 this year) and a drastic drop in shootings (85 at this point in 2022 and 57 so far this year), and though that progress is encouraging, it is nothing to celebrate as families are still being affected. To get involved with the many community partners in Lexington fighting to reduce gun violence, contact One Lexington at dcarama@lexingtonky.gov.”
A nationwide survey of 30 major cities in the United States by the Council on Criminal Justice found that as of the first six months of the year, the number of homicides decreased by 9.4% compared to the first six months of 2022.
The rate, however, is still 24% higher than the first six months of 2019, according to CCJ.
Still, leaders across the country are pledging to do more to continue making progress against gun violence.
