LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Only two days into the new year, and community activists are calling on the public for help as Louisville Metro Police detectives investigate three homicides in three different neighborhoods.
"Anytime you have that senseless violence on top of each other over and over, it's difficult on everybody," Assistant Police Chief Aaron Crowell said
According to the Jefferson County Coroner's Office, 28-year-old Reginald Speight was shot and killed Sunday on Gaulbert Avenue in the Algonquin neighborhood. Then overnight, LMPD officers responded to two other separate homicides, one on East Oak Street in Shelby Park and another on Beechwood Avenue in Tyler Park.
Alexicia Floyd, a member of Voices of Black Mothers United, says if Louisville wants to see real change, it must start from within.
"If we consciously take a look at that individual that we're looking in the mirror every day and decide to live in peace with our neighbors, it's just a conscious decision to not let things aggravate you to the point where you want to pull a weapon," Floyd said.
Floyd says gun violence has hurt too many families, including her own after her son was killed in 2020. Since then, she says not enough progress has been made.
"Let’s not wait behind and watch somebody else save Louisville. We have to do that," she said.
She and community activist Richard Whitlock say everyone needs to work together to prevent this string of violence from becoming a new normal.
"If we all get serious about having a safer city and become more conscious of that, we will get a safer city," Whitlock said.
Crowell agrees, adding the three homicides in two days shows the city still has a long way to go. However, he adds LMPD can't fix this issue alone.
“We need the public's help to fix this. We're not going to do this by ourselves,” Crowell said. “We've been saying it for a long time. We obviously can do better in every aspect of our policing initiatives, but this is something like the mayor said, is going to take everyone to get involved.”
If you have any information on the three cases, call LMPD’s anonymous tip line at 574-LMPD.
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