LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville has officially hit a record number of homicides in a year, and 2020 is not even close to over. In 2016, there were 117 homicides total, and as of September 19, there have been 121.
The record was hit Friday night when three people were shot and killed at Bungalow Joes in Fern Creek overnight.
We now know the names of the three people. The coroner identifying the victims as 48-year-old William Smallwood, 26-year-old Toreon Hudson, and 24-year-old Steven Head.
Michael Rhynes Jr. is facing three counts of murder.
A memorial now lays outside of Bungalow Joe's with flowers and a note with the names of the victims on a piece of paper. It's the only reminder of what happened here Friday night.
"When it hits out here right down the street from you, wow," said Eric Leslie who lives in the neighborhood and visits the restaurant frequently. He was there just hours before. "Last night picked up the egg rolls and had a pretty good crowd here."
In a Facebook post, the owner says there was no motivation and no altercation that led to the shooting and killing three people. Joe Bishop writes he lost a good friend and two extremely well-liked customers.
Christopher 2X, the executive director of Game Changers, says four years ago, there were 117 homicides total.
"Usually these are year ending numbers," said 2X. "It is a totally different feeling compared to 2016."
So far this year, there hasn't been a month where we've had under 10 homicides.
"We're on the track to doing something we've never done before. Consecutive months with 20+ fatal homicides a month," 2X said.
As people show up to this memorial now growing in front of Bungalow Joe's, local leaders like 2X think about what's changed.
"If there is a defining point in this year to me, the younger shooters have really made a mark this year, unfortunately," 2X said.
And he says this is yet another reminder, of how gun violence is changing this city.
"2020 has real eerie feeling in most neighborhoods," 2x said.
The owner of the Bungalow Joe's bar and grill started a GoFundMe for the victim's families and you can support it here.
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