Mayor Dickens addresses Atlanta's plan to reduce crime over the summer
Mayor-elect Andre Dickens of Atlanta speaks with reporters after attending meetings at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens wants residents to know that the city remains vigilant in its efforts to put a cap on the rise in violent crime, especially acts involving guns.
Last weekend, a rash of shootings in the metro area once again sparked concern.
As many as eight people were wounded in a drive-by shooting at a Shell Station on Northside drive early Sunday Morning, according to Atlanta Police.
The victims, all under the age of 22, were gathered outside the station when the shooting occurred. All were taken to area hospitals where six are listed as stable and two in critical condition.
Hours later, police responded to a domestic incident in the Villages At Castleberry Hill apartment complex on McDaniel Street.
Police found that one girl and two women had gunshot wounds. They were taken to a hospital, and all are listed as stable.
This latest series of shootings took place at a time when Mayor Andre Dickens is on a mission to push back on a rise in violent crimes in the city, especially those involving guns.
Mayor Dickens joined Morning Edition live this morning to talk about the city’s summer plan that was put in place to help stop some of the violence.
“We’ve seized 1900 guns this year so far,” said Dickens. “And that’s an enormous amount of guns, so we’re doing all we can to get guns off of the street.”
He says he hopes to initiate a gun buy-back program later this year that will hopefully be multi-jurisdictional, allowing guns to be collected from all over the metro area.
Christopher Alston contributed to this report.
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