GREENWOOD, Ind. — An electronic billboard on Interstate 65 in Greenwood got a lot of attention Friday, including from the city's mayor. It was taken down not long after it went up, but the message was already out there.
"Somebody sent me a picture of it. I have to say, I was very disgusted," Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers said.
The billboard had a direct message to Greenwood neighbors that read, "Hey Greenwood! How 'bout we stop shooting each other?" It popped up Friday on the interstate between the County Line Road and Main Street exits.
"That's what they saw coming up the interstate. That's not the Greenwood we are or the Greenwood we are going to be either," Myers said.
The billboard popped up days after a deadly shooting in the parking lot of the Ale Emporium. Someone shot and killed 52-year-old Timothy Sannito Wednesday night. The restaurant sits about a half-mile west of the County Line Road exit on I-65.
Myers questions the timing.
"We've had someone who lost their life. We don't need to politicize it. We don't need to do those kinds of things. We need to be sympathetic to the family," Myers said.
13News contacted the billboard company about the attention the sign was getting, but they wouldn't tell us who paid for it.
Myers doesn't believe the message accurately reflects the city.
"I don't know who did it or what the reason was, I'm happy it's down. Greenwood is a good community. A safe community. It's a community where people want to be able to feel safe and live, work and play and stay safe here in the city. We don't need that kind of negative advertising going around like that," Myers said.
To those who have concerns about safety in the area, Myers said actions speak louder than words.
"If you see something, say something. Don't wait until it's too late. If you see somebody suspicious, call it in," Myers said.
According to Myers, the city is focused on building up their police force. He said in the next two months, they are going to hire 13 more officers, which will create a fully staffed department.