Shots fired: Gun-violence stats startle; police ask for help

LIMA - The number of shots-fired reports in the city is as troubling as the demographics surrounding gun violence this year.

From Jan. 1 to Tuesday, Police have logged 300 reports of shots being fired, Chief Greg Garlock said Wednesday, nearly as many as police can see in a full year's time.

The demographics along with the guns are even scarier: the guns are used by children and young adults ages 13 to 23, Garlock said.

The firearm violence is coming from teens 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 refuse to cooperate with police.

Along with the 298 shots-fired calls, police responded so far this year to 23 robberies with a gun, 36 assaults with a gun and one gun-related murder, Detective Scott Leland said.

"Clearly, with those numbers, guns are a problem in this city," Leland said. "We've got bad guys shooting at bad guys, with an attitude that the street will take care of itself."

Police are stepping up enforcement against gun violence, Garlock and Leland said, and are looking for grant money to continue increased proactive patrolling, which has helped quell gun violence the past two weeks.

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

Police and Mayor David Berger asked, as they have several times this summer, 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.

Adults responsible for children need to know where they are going, with whom they're spending time and be on the lookout for things such as an increase in money without a source. If parents suspect their children are involved in drug sales or are keeping weapons in their rooms, they can and should call the police for help, Leland said.