‘Concerning’ numbers: TPD reports 26 shootings this month

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Just one month into the new year, the Capital City has already seen 26 shootings.

That’s a slight increase from January of last year, during which TPD responded to 23 shooting incidents.

TPD’s communications director said these numbers are concerning, and that the police department wants every Tallahassee resident to feel safe.

Unfortunately, many do not.

Tkeyah Williams has lived in Griffin Heights Apartments since 2016. She says she’s been dealing with community violence for years.

Earlier this month, a young boy was injured after a shooting at Griffin Heights that was deemed accidental.

“I don’t feel safe,” Williams said. “I don’t.”

Last month, WIlliams heard a strange noise. She turned off her lights and got her and her 5-year-old son down on the ground.

“Come to find out, somebody was shooting at my window,” Williams said.

No one was hurt, but the holes in her window remind Williams of how real the danger was.

“You just never know when is something gonna happen, she said. “You never know what’s going to come through your door.”

Williams’s story is one of many.

“The numbers are certainly concerning,” Alicia Turner, TPD Communications Director, said. “We don’t want any shootings here in the City of Tallahassee more residents, and people that are visiting our area to feel safe.”

Turner said the police department is working to combat gun violence by increasing patrol of high-crime areas and increasing overtime opportunities for officers to add staffing.

Rudy Ferguson, chair of the Police Citizens Advisory Council, said safety begins with the community, and that the citizens of Tallahassee need to look at themselves and ask hard questions.

“What can I do better as a gun owner? What can I do better as a youth? What can I do better as a parent? What can I do better as a community leader to ensure that our young people have a future?”

Williams echoes this sentiment, saying all she wants is for her 5-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter to be safe.

“I feel like our community deserves more,” she said. ”It deserves somebody to at least stand up and show that they care.”

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