INDIANAPOLIS — Police are investigating after four people were killed and two others injured in Indianapolis violence.
It happened during a weekend marked for remembering the victims of gun violence and their loved ones.
Earlier this week, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett announced a proposal that would provide more money to stem rising gun violence in the city.
On Monument Circle Sunday, shoes were lined up, pair after pair, each representing a life lost to gun violence in the city over the past six months. 111 dead - a number that grew over the weekend.
“Today I had to write a new number. Yesterday, I had to write a new number,” said Cathy Weinmann of Indianapolis' chapter of Moms Demand Action, a grassroots organization that calls for solutions to the tide of gun violence in this country.
The group organized an “In Their Shoes” memorial Sunday to remember victims and their families. It happened during "Wear Orange Weekend," an annual awareness event held across the country.
“We’re trying to make gun violence real. It’s not just a number. It’s not just a statistic,” said Weinmann.
The family of one victim, 24-year-old Jack Shockley, attended the memorial to remember the young man who was shot and killed last year on Indy’s east side.
“It’s not just a political problem. It is a real and lifelong tragedy for people who are impacted by gun violence,” said Weinmann, who hours before Sunday’s memorial woke to news of a deadly shooting near her south side home the night before. Police said a 31-year-old man was shot and killed.
Then, early Sunday, police say they found a woman shot to death on North Kenwood Avenue.
“Every day there is a new devastating shooting in this city,” lamented Weinmann.
Last week, Hogsett announced a $3 million investment in violence prevention strategies. Some of the money would go toward new police technology. It also proposes more community-based programming and engagement that would include programs for at risk youth, victim response services and money for mental health experts.
Weinmann said Moms Demand Action is in favor of whatever solutions that can help prevent more violent incidents.
“There are so many things we can do to put an end to that. It just takes the community will to do it,” said Weinmann.