City leaders calling on community to step up after violent week

 

MICHIANA --- City leaders and neighbors have called for an end to all the violence after a series of incidents sent two officers and a couple minors to the hospital on both sides of the state lines.

The area closed out another violent week with a series gun related incident that injured two police officers in Benton Harbor and sent at least for young people to the hospital this week in South Bend.

“We just moved here trying to escape bad in the community and right now bad is happening everywhere,” said Kasha Payne, who lives South Bend.

“It’s too many, and it’s time for everybody in our community to decide that it has to stop,” added South Bend’s First District Common Councilman Pastor Canneth Lee.

Pastor Lee who’s also the director for the city’s Group Violence Intervention Program is among many who’ve echoed calls for an end to all the violence.

After the latest overnight shooting Sunday near South Kenmore and Wellington Street, potentially injured two more people in South Bend, they said enough is enough.

“We have to stand up and saw we have to do better, our kids have to do better, parents we have to be very vigilant about our kids,” explained Pastor Lee.

Sunday’s incident also came after at least four young people were hurt by gunshots in the last three days and showed up to the hospital.

Across state lines in Benton Harbor on Thursday, two officers and a suspect were shot as police tried to arrest a man with two felony warrants and multiple drug and gun charges.

“One moment can change the trajectory of your life and if someone’s hit, someone’s killed that bullet affects people far more than just the victim,” added Pastor Lee.

Pastor Lee is also among the many living in South Bend that want to see a change, and they’ve asked people to step up and speak out.

“I want to see our community get better and it takes a village. It takes a village and not one people or two people can do it,” said Payne.

“If you know something, say something and we got to get these guns off the street,” added Pastor Lee.

South Bend Police Department’s Violent Crimes unit is investigating the latest incidents.

If you have information about the recent incidents you’re urged to reach out to the South Bend Police or Michiana Crime Stoppers where you can leave an anonymous by calling 574-288-STOP.

Michigan State Police are looking into what happened in Benton Harbor where the suspect died and the officers are now on the road to recovery.