Cincinnati leaders call for city resources to address gun violence

CINCINNATI (FOX19) - Cincinnati leaders are calling for resources to address the gun violence the city experienced over the weekend.

Saturday, four children between the ages of 12 and 15 were shot around 5 p.m. in the 400 block of Kings Run Drive in Winton Hills.

“Thank God, thankfully there was no loss of life. But there could have easily been. One inch difference with the way the gun was aimed,” Brian Garry with Neighborhoods United said.

Garry says the children are not safe because of the lack of city investment, “It’s about economics. The city invests little to nothing in this neighborhood and most neighborhoods where there is gun violence.”

The second shooting took place Saturday around 10 p.m. in the 5400 block of Hillside Avenue in Riverside.

Police say 25-year-old Joshua Hawkins was found in a parking lot unresponsive from a gunshot wound.

They say he was pronounced dead at the scene.

For Neighborhoods United Co-chair Jack Jose, this one hit close to home. Hawkins was one of his former students at Gamble Montessori High School.

“It’s hard to see all that hard work and that skill that he had. A beautiful smile, just a likable young man. And to see this is how it ended is heartbreaking," Jose said.

The third incident happened Sunday just after midnight as police responded to a report of a person shot in the 1900 block of Wyoming Avenue.

Police say they found 29-year-old Teddy Williams who later died at the hospital.

“We can prevent gun violence. They do it in Hyde Park. They do it in Mt. Lookout. So that means it can be done," Jose said.

For Gary and Jose, prevention starts with investing in programs and resources in these neighborhoods.

They say it could make a difference in making these streets a safe and pleasant place to live.

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