CLEVELAND — Following Sunday’s shooting, community leaders in Akron are upset and concerned about the gun violence in their community.

What You Need To Know

  • Community leaders in Akron are concerned following the mass shooting 

  • Statistics from the city show 42 people were shot in Akron between January and April of this year

  • That’s nearly 25% fewer victims than there were during the same time period last year

“We have a young man who has lost his life, we have several family members who are victims to this gun violence that we continue to see here in the City of Akron,” said Tara Mosley Weems, former Ward 5 Councilwoman for the City of Akron.

She lives just across the street from where Sunday’s mass shooting took place. So close that her home’s surveillance camera captured people screaming and running for their lives.

“Outside of that council chamber here I am saying it again. Summer is upon us. We have 25 people who have been shot. What are we gonna do?” Weems said.

It’s a problem that Joyce Penfield described as an epidemic, and one that she is trying to prevent through her volunteer group, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. 

“In our community we know that there are many things we have to work together, it’s not all children, it’s not all youth, it’s a matter of us getting along with each other and learning other ways to solve problems,” Penfield said.

Statistics from the city show 42 people were shot in Akron between January and April of this year.

That’s nearly 25% fewer victims than there were during the same time period last year.

But Mosley Weems said incidents like the one this weekend show it’s still a problem, and she said there’s no easy solution.

“I’ve talked openly and candidly with the Mayor about my concern, and he shares those concerns. We just have to first find out who did this, and then we need to make sure it never happens again,” Weems said.

Penfield said one of her priorities is keeping guns out of the hands of the wrong people.

In her mind, that starts with improper storage, especially in cars. According to a report from Everytown for Gun Safety, on average, at least one firearm is stolen from a car every 9 minutes in the United States.

“When those are stolen from cars, they’re marketed, and they can get accessible to those in the community, including young people and others who learn to solve problems with guns,” Penfield said.

“This touches this entire community across the city, and if you know something, say something,” Weems said.

Akron Police are asking anyone with information about Sunday’s shooting to call the department’s detective bureau.

Investigators are teaming up to offer rewards totaling more than $22,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and successful prosecution of the suspect.