Five homicides took place in Winston-Salem over the weekend during three gun-related incidents. This afternoon, Police Chief William Penn held a press conference in front of the Public Safety Center to address community concerns.
Penn took questions from reporters for around ten minutes regarding what he described as a “tragic weekend.” He said currently, nothing indicates that the homicides are related, other than the fact that they involved young people. In one case, officers found three victims with apparent gunshot wounds at 1:30 a.m. on Saturday in East Winston on Cameron Avenue. They were 17, 18 and 23 years old. Penn says his department has not ruled out gang involvement in that case.
The five weekend homicides bring this year’s total to 16, slightly less than last year at this time. Penn says that sad milestone has not changed his broader message to the community about parental accountability.
"The community is the village, and we have a responsibility, particularly to our youth, to guide them, support them, and lead them in the right direction," he says. "I want everyone to take some time and look at the ages of those involved, and pay attention to the time, and the ages, not just the numbers."
Penn says his officers will increase patrols in the Cameron Avenue area. When it comes to lowering violence, he says everyone in the community needs to step up and do more, alerting police about suspicious behavior. He noted that of the 30-40 people at the party on Cameron the night of the violence, he and his officers received what he called “very little cooperation.” He added much the same for the other crime scenes.