INDIANAPOLIS — Neighbors on Indianapolis' east side say they're tired of waking up to police lights and crime tape as the city grapples with ongoing gun violence.
While the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department reports the city's criminal homicide rate has dropped about 24% compared to last year, community leaders say the underlying causes of violence remain unchanged — arguments and conflicts that escalate to deadly shootings.
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"It's not an east side problem, it's a problem in general," said Jay Woods, who lives near where police say a man was shot and killed around 34th and Oxford Tuesday morning.
Woods pointed to economic struggles as a contributing factor to violence.
"If people don't have the right funds, people don't have the money, they're going to, you know, they're going to go to other lengths to get things," Woods said.
The deadly shooting is among at least three IMPD has investigated since Tuesday morning.
"We're better than this. We're better than this in Indianapolis. We don't need to be turning to guns every time we have a disagreement," IMPD Sgt. Christopher Higgins said.
Senior Pastor Kenneth Sullivan Jr. is working to address the root causes of violence through community programs.
"We have to do more with less," Sullivan said.
Despite the declining homicide numbers, Sullivan says the work continues for community leaders trying to prevent violence.
"We have issues of conflict resolution being done the wrong way. And so, with those issues, the church has to really pivot in this moment and not just minister to people on Sundays, but also provide services throughout the week," Sullivan said.
Inside his church on 38th Street, Sullivan runs the Nehemiah CDC program, which gives men who have faced adversity a chance to rebuild their lives.
"It helps them to really be good with their hands, use their minds, as well as their hearts into it as they develop those skills and crafts that will help them to not make bad choices but make better choices that will help benefit their entire family and community," Sullivan said.
The program aims to ensure people like Woods don't have to wake up to police lights and crime scene tape.
"It's not the community's issue, but we've adopted the issue, unfortunately," Woods said.
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Adam Schumes is the In Your Community reporter for East Side Indy. He joined WRTV in December of 2021. Adam has a passion for telling stories and giving people a voice they might not have had before. Share your story ideas and important issues with Adam by emailing him at adam.schumes@wrtv.com.
