LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A deadly shooting near Fourth Street Live happening in broad daylight has many concerned safety in downtown Louisville.
Metro Police found a man shot to death Sunday afternoon right across from the popular tourist attraction.
Dan Hartlage, who lives downtown, is upset over the violence.
“It broke my heart, and a family is obviously hurting right now,” he said.
Hartlage has been a downtown resident for more than seven years and said he has never felt unsafe. He’s hoping others will not let this act of violence deter them from visiting downtown.
“For those who are very concerned about coming downtown, all I would say is I hope they would give it a try,” he said.
Metro Council District 4 covers part of downtown. Eleven people are running for the seat recently vacated by former councilman Jecorey Arthur.
WHAS11 News reached out to some of the candidates to get their thoughts on the violence.
Dennisha Rivers is hoping to be elected to the seat. She has lived downtown for two years and said she used to feel safe.
“I eat, I shop down here. I shouldn’t have to worry about looking behind my back or the corner of my eyes,” she explained.
Rivers wants to see heightened security measures, specifically more street lights.
For example, WHAS11 noticed for weeks that the streetlights on a long stretch of 5th Street on both sides of the streets are not on and the lights are next to Metro Hall.
“Police substation. Lighting. I think citizens need to get involved – maybe Fourth Street Live, maybe [a] neighborhood association,” Rivers said.
Sunday’s shooting happened around the corner from Louisville Tourism Visitor’s Center, which is currently undergoing renovations.
"Those are isolated tragic incidents that can happen anywhere," Doug Bennett, executive vice president at Louisville Tourism, said.
Bennett said this weekend's tragedy doesn't paint a picture of downtown. He's assuring folks that downtown Louisville is still a great place.
"It is safe and there are a lot of professionals working every day to make it even safer," said Bennett.
One other candidate for the metro council seat is Stan Moore.
In a statement he wrote, "we need to do a much better job of enforcing the existing laws, hold people accountable and keep the bad guys off the street. Louisville will not grow and prosper without a solid foundation of public safety."
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