ROANOKE, Va. – Seeing an uptick in violence is nothing out of the ordinary or specific to Southwest Virginia or even the Commonwealth. However, what is new is how brazen these acts of violence have gotten and how young some of the suspects have been.
Of the more than 30 shootings so far in 2021, the ones involving teenagers have the community begging for a resolution.
“Honestly, McKinley, it felt like time completely stopped,” stated April Robbins. She and her family were feet away from the Salem Fair shooting.
WSLS 10 News spoke exclusively to the mother of a 16-year-old shot and killed who pleaded for teens to put down the guns.
“I’ll never get over it. It’s always going to be there because that was my baby,” expressed LaShay Kearney.
Both parents and others are among those seeking a resolution. So, we asked our elected leaders.
“The United States needs to get more serious about gun safety measures. We’ve not been able to pass anything significantly in congress in a very long time. That is not the whole solution,” said Senator Tim Kaine. “The pent-up anxiety out of this pandemic, the economic loss, the trauma of losing a loved one or having loved ones get sick is creating some real challenges right now.”
“We have to do proactive work to prevent younger people who are falling into that at-risk category for later on and then there is present-day work,” said Roanoke Police Chief Sam Roman.
When asked how they would address this violence, our candidates for governor said it was a priority but then attacked each other’s approach. Click here to read their responses.
Family Services of Roanoke Valley is the lead agency in a collective of five programs specifically created for the youth.