Mayor Woodfin Seeks Community Help To Find Shooters Of Children

 ========= Old Image Removed =========1Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2021/06/handgun.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:1920;s:6:"height";i:1080;s:4:"file";s:19:"2021/06/handgun.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:11:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:19:"handgun-336x189.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:189;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:5:"large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:19:"handgun-771x434.jpg";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:434;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:19:"handgun-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:12:"medium_large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:19:"handgun-768x432.jpg";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:432;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"1536x1536";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"handgun-1536x864.jpg";s:5:"width";i:1536;s:6:"height";i:864;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:17:"handgun-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:19:"handgun-800x450.jpg";s:5:"width";i:800;s:6:"height";i:450;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:19:"handgun-600x600.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:19:"handgun-553x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:553;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:19:"handgun-470x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:470;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:19:"handgun-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => Brett Hondow
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => Pixabay
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

)
1656330223 
1624437732

Brett Hondow, Pixabay

Five children have been killed or injured by gun violence in Birmingham this year, and city leaders are pleading for witnesses to come forward.

“Our detectives are doing everything they can,” Mayor Randall Woodfin said in a Tuesday morning press conference. “This is a community issue and it needs to be a community effort, and I don’t think we can leave it to the five detectives for these five cases.”

Two-year-old Mayor Turner was killed in February when someone fired shots into his Kimbrough Homes Housing Community apartment. At an April 4 shooting in Patton Park, a 5-year-old boy was injured along with four other people. Shootings in Ensley on May 7 and May 18 left a 9-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl wounded, respectively, while a May 22 shooting near East Lake Park injured a 5-year-old boy.

Earlier this month, city and community leaders announced the creation of a $125,000 “Gun Violence Against Children” fund, which will offer $25,000 rewards via Crime Stoppers for information leading to arrests in any of the five cases. The city has also launched a public information campaign through local television and radio stations.

So far, Woodfin said, the campaign has yielded “some calls … but we still need more information, still need more tips.”

He lamented “no-snitching culture,” which he has cited for years as a “wall that’s hard to crack” for detectives. “As adults we need to come forward, we need to speak up, we need to talk,” he said.

Woodfin emphasized that tipsters would remain anonymous and added that the city offers a relocation program through the Housing Authority Birmingham Division for “citizens out here who do want to come forward (but) are afraid.”

Those with information about these cases are encouraged call the Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama tip line at 205-254-7777.

 

The new film ‘Tatami’ reveals an Iranian judoka’s fight beyond the mat

In the first feature film co-directed by an Israeli and an Iranian, Tatami, an Iranian judoka must choose between her country and a run for the gold at the World Judo Championships.

U.S. uninsured rates could resurge if Trump’s budget bill passes

Millions could lose health insurance as the Trump administration and GOP-controlled Congress weigh major changes to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. "The effects could be catastrophic," one policy analyst predicts.

Several countries have privatized air traffic control. Should the U.S.?

An effort to privatize U.S. air traffic control in 2017 never took off. Now the aviation industry is uniting behind the Trump administration's plan to overhaul the system.

Whose lavish wedding is sparking protests this week? Find out in the quiz

From British royalty and billionaire antics to the latest in U.S. news, this week's quiz will make you feel smart and savvy at the dinner table.

Trump says the U.S. has signed a deal with China on trade, without giving details

The U.S. and China have signed an agreement on trade, President Donald Trump said, adding he expects to soon have a deal with India.

Japan executes man convicted of murder for killing and dismembering 9 people

Takahiro Shiraishi, known as the "Twitter killer," was sentenced to death in 2020 for the killings in 2017 of the nine victims, most of whom had posted suicidal thoughts on social media.

More BirminghamWatch Coverage