CHARLOTTE — Three men were killed in two shootings on Sunday, just three miles apart. Now, as police look for answers, activists call for action.
Sunday’s first shooting occurred midday at an apartment complex near Freedom Drive in west Charlotte, police said. The victim was identified later Monday morning as 20-year-old Wesley Guerra.
The second shooting of the day happened just after 6 p.m. in a neighborhood on Welling Avenue. Two men were sent to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. They were later pronounced deceased.
All three victims were in their twenties. And activists told Channel 9′s Hunter Saenz that it is time for something to change.
Jacqueline Lewis works as a community activist with Angels of No Mercy. She said she lost her son and her grandson to gun violence.
“It breaks my heart because I know what that family is about to deal with,” Lewis said.
She said it is time for the community to make a change.
“Instead of being out on the street, there is so much our youth could be doing right now if they had a location,” Lewis said. “They could do job skills, they could do continuing education.”
Willis “Big Red” Draughn Jr. is a community activist in the area as well. He said he agrees — the youth need somewhere to go.
“The youth does not know what to do,” he said. “They don’t know where to do what they want to do.”
But Draughn Jr. also said funding is an issue.
“That’s our issue in this community,” he said. “Our community spreads our funds too thin.”
Draughn said that if community leaders are looking for a change, they should begin investing in more local violence-prevention groups with boots on the ground.
“Trust us,” he said. “Trust in us — if it hasn’t been working, then let’s try something new.”
Before the latest weekend shootings, Charlotte City Council announced that the city’s homicide rate is down by about 30% from the same point in the previous year.
WATCH | ‘It’s frightening’: Neighbors react to multiple weekend shootings in west Charlotte
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