LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Since the start of this month, 16 people have been killed in shootings in Jefferson County, including four people last weekend and six people during the previous weekend, according to police.  

On Saturday morning, Shively Police said a man in his 40s and a woman in her 20s were killed in a shooting on Dixie Highway. 

That night, a man in his 40s died after a shooting on I-264 East near Cane Run Road, according to Shively Police. 

Louisville Police said they are investigating the shooting death of a man that occurred Saturday on Pirtle Street. 

Councilman Anthony Piagentini (R, District 19) said the city needs to do more to stop the spike in violence. 

“We’ve seen tremendous improvement in what LMPD tactically can do and is doing to focus on this, but that’s just not enough,” he said. “We need much deeper cooperation with our federal partners. We need much deeper cooperation with these other anti-violence departments within the mayor’s office.”

More than work from city officials, Piagentini said the public should also be more involved in crime prevention efforts.

LMPD statistics show there have been 123 homicides so far this year, compared to 131 by the same date last year, an overall decrease of about 6%. 

Non-fatal shootings are down 33%, according to police records. 

Council President David James (D, District 6) said the city has put a lot of resources into the problem, but it remains short on officers. 

He called on the public to speak up. 

“We have a ways to go,” he said. “I think one of the big things is that people need to say what they see when they see something wrong and that hasn’t been happening a lot, which has caused a lowering of solving cases.”

Louisville should fully implement the Group Violence Intervention (GVI) program and look at the root causes of the violence, James said. 

Mayor Greg Fischer’s communications director, Jessica Wethington, provided a statement, saying in part:

“While shootings are down 33% year-to-date and homicides are down 6% year-to-date, any violence in our city is unacceptable.”

GVI focuses solely on homicides and shootings that are group involved and the city suspects 39 homicides have been group related, Wethington said. 

“The GVI team has made significant progress since its launch—they’ve completed 226 customs, which are in-person visits or a direct call to those who are drivers of violence in the community or victims who may be highly likely to retaliate. The main message is to stop the violence, don’t retaliate and instead, take advantage of wraparound services we offer. They’ve also responded to 35 victims of violence, offering services like help securing Section 8 housing, food, furniture and counseling. The GVI team has also convened two call-in meetings with members of groups in the city known to be driving an increase of violence and continues to schedule future call-in meetings.”