People in Charleston, Missouri are calling for change after a shooting that wounded six people yesterday morning.
CHARLESTON, Mo. (WSIL)-- People in Charleston, Missouri are calling for change after a shooting that wounded six people yesterday morning.
Just a short distance away where adults pulled out guns nearly killing a half dozen, kids are playing a game of horse in the community center's gym next door.Â
CHARLESTON, Mo. --Authorities are investigating a shooting which led to six people shot and …
Unfortunately, members at Fresh Start Self Improvement Center say the news of the violence was not surprising, but it did set off another alarm that more needs to be done to stop violence in their neighborhood. Lester Gillespie is the CEO and director of the center.
“We have to come up with a way for some strategies to build on, and to try and eradicate those situations,� Gillespie said.
Gillespie says he doesn’t want the kids to get desensitized to the violence.
“They end up getting used to it but, you know it's not fun having to dive on the floor at night because they are shooting around your houses,� Gillespie says. “So we wanna make sure we lessen the trauma and give our community some tools.�
He spends part of his days trying to help the kids understand their environment while not becoming a part of it. Later in the day at the center, he talked with the kids about what happened in the parking lot next door.
“Those questions, that lets me know you all are aware of your surroundings,� Gillespie tells the kids. “And we want you all to be mentally healthy so that you can think, you can thrive.�
Blessin Kimble volunteers at the center while he is away from college. He says he likes mentoring the kids. He says his kids are growing up in Charleston, and he wants it to be safe for them too.
“I don't want my kids out there, you know staying in Charleston,� Kimble says. “Don't get me wrong, Charleston just has a lot of things we need to fix.�
The shooting happened right just a few feet from the community center, and Gillespie says when a shooting happens it impacts the whole community, especially in a small community.
“It really impacts everybody here. Because everybody knows everybody, and in most cases, everybody is related,� Gillespie said.
And he says even other communities are impacted. Police believe that a recent shooting in nearby Sikeston could be connected to the one here.
“Retaliation, because if somebody comes to our town, you know, then the retaliation comes into play. Now I really have to go to their town. So we have to have a regional approach as well,� Gillespie said.
Charleston's Police chief told News 3Â they are continuing the investigation.
