COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said we need more street responders to serve and protect our communities.
A busy fast-food chain on South High street turned into a crime scene Saturday morning when shots were fired. Police confirmed the victim, Christopher Mateen, was rushed to Grant Medical Center with life-threatening injuries and pronounced dead at 10 a.m.
Mayor Ginther met with local residents Saturday as part of his re-election campaign to talk about his plan to tackle violence in the city.
“We have to make these historic investments we're making with rescue plan hours into youth services and youth programming, youth employment, after-school programs, but we also have to continue to invest in police classes,” said Ginther.
Zerqa Abid of My Project U.S.A., a community outreach group, said losing another life to violence is unacceptable.
“It's very heartbreaking. Every single day in Columbus we have to deal with somebody murdered. Gun violence is such a pandemic for us right,” said Abid.
Less than 24 hours before the latest shooting, Abid held “Spruce up with Cops,” at Wedgewood Apartments, connecting youth and residents with law enforcement to clean up the complex in hopes of deterring crime.
“Taking police officers working with them together, organizing community, uplifting youth, and telling them that it's you know, you can we can control it, we can do it together, we can address it,” said Abid.
Wedgewood Apartments has had multiple shootings and murders just this past year, including a shooting on Friday that hurt two people. Ginther said this is a community the city is honing in on.
"We're frustrated, we're angry. I'm not just a mayor, I'm a father and I know that families over there are facing challenges, that we can do better. Not only is it a place where we're going to be forcing folks to be putting additional cameras, additional officers, and security. We're looking at putting a shot spotter in place over there as well,” said Ginther.