PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh police continue to investigate two deadly shootings in Downtown Pittsburgh that happened in the span of about a month. In both cases, police said, it was a teenager who pulled the trigger.
On Wednesday, Channel 11 asked Mayor Corey O’Connor and members of his administration about the recent teen violence and what is being done to curb it.
“We have to look at this holistically – this can’t just be a law enforcement problem,” said Chief Jason Lando of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.
Lando believes community collaboration is needed to prevent violence in Downtown Pittsburgh and beyond – specifically, crimes involving teenagers. Over the weekend, on June 14, police said a 15-year-old shot and killed a 17-year-old during a fight near Katz Plaza, not far from the Cultural District.
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“Obviously one [shooting] is one too many – and we know that,” O’Connor said.
Another deadly shooting last month in Market Square led to the arrest of 16-year-old B’jauhn Dankins. Police said on May 12, he shot a 19-year-old in the chest, who later died at the hospital.
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Just a few weeks before, the city implemented a chaperone policy Thursday through Sunday nights in Market Square to help crack down on fights. The May 12 shooting happened on a Tuesday, but police said recent numbers surrounding the policy reflected a positive impact.
“When the concern was – is that placing those restrictions on Market Square were going to lead to more police interactions, they’ve actually led to considerably fewer police interactions, which is a good thing. We want to have less negative police interactions with our youth while we’re working to come up with a creative solution,” said Lt. Bob Monticelli of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.
When it comes to finding a long-term solution, O’Connor said his administration is working closely with all Pittsburgh Public Safety departments to do their best to be proactive in preventing future incidents. But Lando said the city can’t do it alone.
“One of my frustrations is when we arrest a 14 or 15-year-old with a gun, and our officers know that kid by name, and it’s the fourth or fifth time that kid has been arrested. I can’t keep asking my officers to go out there and arrest the same kids over and over again. At some point, our community partners have to step up,” Lando said.
The Mayor’s Office says the Market Square chaperone policy is still in effect when a special event requiring a permit is not taking place on a given weekend.
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