Sitting on the front porch of her family home in East Akron Monday, former Akron councilmember Tara Mosley Weems reflected on the neighborhood she鈥檚 lived in her whole life.
鈥淢ost of us have grown up together. We鈥檙e related to each other, either by blood or marriage. We are family over here,鈥� Weems said.
That tight-knit community, she said, was rocked on Sunday when police say dozens of shots were fired into a crowd at a block party just after midnight at the corner of Kelly and 8th avenues. One man, 27-year-old LaTeris Cook of Akron, was killed in the shooting and another 24 were injured, according to Akron Police.
A $22,500 reward is being offered for anyone with information that leads to a successful identification, arrest and prosecution of involved parties, according to city officials.
Weems鈥� doorbell cameras picked up footage of people screaming and running from the shooting, she said.
鈥淚t literally sounded like a warzone. And I said, 鈥楾his is insane,鈥欌�� Weems said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e experienced that over here. Our house was shot at before. Does that make me want to leave the neighborhood that I鈥檝e lived in my whole life? No.鈥�
Two handguns and more than 35 shell casings were recovered from the scene, Akron Police Chief Brian Harding said in a Sunday news conference.
"Based on the layout of the spent shell casings it appears consistent with someone driving by shooting out of a car," he said. "We believe that some individuals at the party may have returned fire based on physical evidence at the scene."
The block party where the shooting occurred is held every year for a resident鈥檚 birthday and is peaceful, Weems added. Hundreds of people from across the city usually attend, she said.
That鈥檚 why she believes someone will eventually come forward with information.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e just absolutely going to say something because so many victims are from across the city, they鈥檙e attached to other family members who are like 鈥楴o, we can鈥檛 let this happen.鈥� And it鈥檚 not about being a snitch, it鈥檚 about doing the right thing,鈥� Weems said.
Right now, though, many residents are keeping to themselves and grieving, said Johnnie Hannah, the current councilmember for the area.
鈥淚 think everybody is numb, and they are not talking, maybe out of fear, or they just don鈥檛 want to talk now,鈥� Hannah said. 鈥淏ut I know for a fact that people don鈥檛 feel safe in my ward, especially on the east side.鈥�
Gun violence is a growing problem in East Akron as well as across the city, Hannah said. Several shootings have occurred over the past 60 days, he said.
Going forward, Hannah wants to focus on tackling the root causes of gun violence, such as poverty, he said.
鈥淵ou have to give people hope, and when our young Black males don鈥檛 have hope, then that鈥檚 a catastrophe for violence,鈥� Hannah said. 鈥淲e have been neglected in our neighborhoods for years, and we have not gotten our piece of the pie. We have not even tasted the pie as far as economic development, as far as safe housing.鈥�
Weems is calling for more community policing. She鈥檇 like to see more police officers out building trust in the neighborhood.
鈥淲e have to recruit officers that understand that you鈥檙e going to have to be in the community,鈥� Weems said. 鈥淭here shouldn鈥檛 be 鈥� you can pick and choose whether you can be in the community or not. That has to be a requirement.鈥�
Mayor Shammas Malik visited the neighborhood on Sunday, but she said more council members and elected officials need to reach out to the residents and offer support.
鈥淭hey want to know that people downtown care about them and yesterday, it didn鈥檛 show that,鈥� Weems said.
Both Weems and Hannah believe a grassroots effort in collaboration with city partners and nonprofits is key in order to move the needle on gun violence.
Hannah is planning to meet with Malik, police officers and local pastors soon to talk about next steps for tackling gun violence in the area.
