Community activists, residents concerned by rash of Decatur shootings

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) – A rash of shootings throughout Decatur Monday that killed one and hurt three others has community activists and neighbors worried.

“We have to find another way. At the end of the day, this is not the answer,” Pastor Rod Wilson with Heart of Christ Ministries said.

The shootings happened throughout Decatur and east of Franklin Street. Decatur police told WAND News they responded to a total of five shooting calls.

"Yeah, I'm scared, to come outside sir and that is terrible,” Artiela L. Rodgers, who lives near 18^th and Clay where one of the shootings took place, said. “Bullets don't have no eyes."

According to police, the shooting near Rodgers’ home took place near 20^th and Prairie. A woman was shot in the leg and is expected to be OK.

"In my neighborhood, I have to worry about that," Rodgers said. "(At) 10:30 this morning, (there were) 10 shots popping off."

Rodgers has lived in Decatur for one year and she knows the pain of a bullet. Rodgers was shot twice before moving to Decatur.

"Somebody needs to find love,” Rodgers said. “Somebody needs to be on the street corners telling them they got to put the guns down. They got to put the guns down."

Just blocks away from Rodgers’ home, a 27-year-old man was gunned down in a car near Lowber and Walnut. He died at the hospital. Two more people were shot near Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Grand. Both are expected to be OK.

Decatur police said Monday the shootings tied up all available resources, and no one involved in the shootings is cooperating with investigators.

"We have called in additional resources to address it and keep a lid on it as much as possible,” Decatur Police Detective Sgt. Christopher Copeland said.

Police have not said if the shootings are connected, but Copeland believes they are not random.

As a shooting victim herself, Rodgers is hoping for a peaceful night and is reminding those turning to gun violence that there are other options.

"It is terrible,” she said. “They need to stop. Put the guns down. You are going to end up in the grave or in prison in the rest of your life. Do they want to be carried by six or do they want to be judged by 12?"

After one of the shootings, Decatur police told WAND News that a large crowd showed up at DMH and a fight broke out. Community activists fear if things are not addressed, Monday's rash of shootings could be the beginning.

"These things left unchecked can led to a never-ending cycle of retaliation and revenge,” Pastor Wilson said. “When hurting people are dealing with things, (these) situations, emotions and anger, mixed together, it can make for violent situations that can be a cycle that never ends."

Wilson said the community needs to come together to prevent continued violence. He is encouraging conversation and for everyone to reach out to someone who may have been impacted by crime.

"We need to find common ground,” Wilson said. “If we can find common ground and find out where we all meet and meet in the middle, that would help change the mindsets and refocus the narrative."

Anyone with information about any of the shootings is asked to call Decatur police.