Lima police worry about shots fired, age of shooters

LIMA - With more than 300 reports of shots fired in the city so far this year, police are stepping up enforcement efforts against gun violence, police Chief Greg Garlock said this morning.

Especially troubling are the demographics going along with the guns: They're being used by children and young adults, from ages 13 to 23, Garlock said.

Garlock and police Det. Scott Leland announced early work to establish a new effort among police, prosecutors and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to better enforce the violence and track offenders.

Police and Mayor David Berger again, as they have several times this summer, asked for help from parents and the public to set limits for their children and know their activities and also report information to police.

"We're asking parents and guardians to step up, because we are," Berger said.

The firearm violence is coming from youths and young adults, many of whom are in groups at odds with each other over drug sales. Some shooting victims know who shot them and are refusing to cooperate with police, believing that the street will "take care of itself," Leland said.

Read more about this story in Thursday's The Lima News.