When Louisville Metro Police Chief Paul Humphrey held a press conference Thursday, he provided an update on the number of homicides reported this year: 133, an 8% increase compared to this time last year.
By Monday morning, there had been two more homicides, and four other shootings, leaving four people — including a child — injured.
Soon after becoming the permanent police chief in September, Humphrey said all of city government needs to take part in tackling crime.
Now, LMPD and city leaders are continuing to promise to improve programs and policies to curb violent crime. Since late summer, officials including Mayor Craig Greenberg have said they are working on strategies to prevent homicides in Louisville, one of the few American cities where violent crime was increasing.
Responding to shootings
Christopher 2X, a longtime advocate against gun violence, said gun violence in Louisville is widespread.
“I don't know how you make progress that easy, especially when violence is in all eight LMPD divisions, a little less than some and more in others,” he said.
2X said the Louisville community “is suffering,” from the effects of violent crime, but he also encourages people to be patient with city leaders who are trying to implement solutions.
“You have to give their plan time just like you would have given a plan in the community the time and consideration,” 2X said. “And that effort moving forward could be something that could be successful.”
Humphrey, the police chief, said recently the number of homicides in Louisville is “unacceptable.”
“Still a lot of work to do in the area of violent crime, and that will continue to be our primary focus,” he said Thursday.
Humphrey said LMPD is working on a violent crime reduction plan that will focus on working with community members. He said he will announce the plan in the coming weeks.
When Humphrey previously addressed his strategies for preventing crime, about six weeks ago, he said he planned to use data to send officers to high-crime areas. He also said he has long-term plans, which include working to get guns off the streets.
On Monday, Mayor Craig Greenberg’s spokesperson Kevin Trager said, “components to this plan include using data to identify violent crime micro-locations and assigning officers to be more visible in those locations.”
LMPD already uses some data-driven technology, like the ShotSpotter alert system that called officers to one shooting over the weekend. The system uses sensors to detect and locate gunfire in certain areas of town. The alert goes to officers' cell phones, so they can respond accordingly.
In 2017, the system was used most in west and south Louisville. LMPD later added ShotSpotters in the sixth division which includes neighborhoods such as Audubon, Hikes Point, Newburg and Camp Taylor.
Trager said Louisville Metro Government is also working on other programs to curb gun violence in the city. This includes adding programming with the Group Violence Intervention team, revoking alcohol licenses for “bars identified as hotbeds for violence” and establishing an Attorney General’s office in Louisville to address violent crime.
6 shootings in 27 hours
The slew of shootings began on Saturday. At 11:20 p.m., Louisville Metro Police found a man in his 40s who was shot in the head at the 2600 block of West Broadway in Parkland. According to Sgt. Matt Sanders, the man was taken to University of Louisville Hospital with life-threatening injuries.
As of Monday, a spokesperson with LMPD said the man is still alive in the hospital. Sanders said LMPD’s homicide unit is investigating due to the severity of the man’s injuries.
At 3:10 p.m. on Sunday, officers responded to another shooting in Parkland at the 1300 block of Catalpa Street, Sanders said. A man in his 30s was shot in the chest. He was taken to UofL Hospital with injuries he is expected to survive.
By 4:30 p.m., officers responded to a third shooting in Parkland. This time, officers found a 44-year-old man shot multiple times in his torso at the 1000 block of South 26th Street. The man was also taken to the UofL Hospital, where he died in surgery Sunday night.
As of Monday afternoon, LMPD hasn’t made any arrests, according to LMPD spokesperson Dwight Mitchell.
Sanders said the shootings are not related to each other, and LMPD’s nonfatal shooting squad is investigating both incidents.
The fourth shooting occurred in the Russell neighborhood. At 7:50 p.m., Sanders said officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert at the 1200 block of Place Argente. Officers found a 14-year-old boy who was shot in the leg about a block away from the alert. Sanders said the boy was taken to UofL Hospital for his injuries.
Less than two hours later, a man in his 20s was shot in his torso in front of Bloom Liquor Store in the Jacobs neighborhood.
When officers arrived, they found the man about three blocks away on Henry Avenue. Sanders said officers believe the man walked away from the store and collapsed from his injury. Local EMS pronounced him dead at the scene.
Sanders said LMPD’s homicide unit is investigating.
Around 2 a.m. Monday, officers responded to a shooting on the 1500 block of West Breckenridge Street. A man in his 60s was shot in the torso, Sanders said. The man was taken to UofL Hospital, and Sanders said he is expected to survive.
