A meeting that was held by police in the Springfield community Wednesday regarding two fatal shooting over the weekend had almost 75 members in attendance.
During Labor Day weekend, a 7-year-old boy was fatally shot at a birthday party for his cousin. And just around the corner, a drive-by shooting hit and killed a 30-year-old woman while she was sitting on her friend’s porch.
The deaths were two of the total five people killed and 12 shot over the weekend.
The meeting happened at Iglesia Pentecostal Ebenezer Church and included both Spanish and English translations.
During the meeting, neighbors were encouraged to share any information they had about the shootings. Police also hoped to increase communication and ties, including a neighborhood watch, between neighbors for the prevention of crime in the area.
The church’s pastor, Rev. Otheoniel Valentin, shared he had encouraged those in the community and parishioners to say anything if they knew information about the killings. He said people need to be brave and talk.
