Prayer vigil held as residents try to bring attention to rising homicides
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JACKSON, Mississippi (WAPT) — A number of shootings in the metro area have brought the community together for a prayer vigil. Residents want to bring attention to the rising numbers of homicides.
The prayer vigil was held at four different locations where people lost their lives to gun violence.
“Stop the killing and let us love one another once again,” said Jackie Young.
The vigil went from the Medger Evers Boulevard gas station where 18-year-old Kennedy Hobbs was shot and killed. The vigil then went to Murrah High School, which is close to where a 9-year-old boy died Tuesday from a gunshot wound that was being treated at the Children’s hospital. The boy was accidentally shot in Canton by his 2-year-old sister, police said. He died days later at the hospital in Jackson.
The vigil did not stop there. The group went to the Edgewood Terrace Apartments where 22-year-old Anthony Lindsey was shot dead involving an altercation over a woman. The vigil finished at the Drury Inn and Suits in Ridgeland where police said a 16-year-old boy was accused of shooting his 39-year-old uncle.
“Right now, we’re seeing that people are hurting and they are acting out in ways that are causing our community to hurt,” said Courtney Weiland from Mississippi Mom’s Demand Action Organization.
June 6 ends a “wear orange for gun violence” initiative that was aimed to raise awareness. If the shooting trend continues, Jackson will set a new record for highest number of homicides in a year.
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