According to reports, a pair of teenage brothers are believed to be responsible for the robbery and shooting of a man named Livingston in his residence on Kimball Street.
The incident occurred when one of the brothers posed as a customer interested in buying candy, gaining entry into Livingston’s home.
As Livingston left to get the candy, the second brother entered the house, and the two of them pointed their guns at Livingston upon his return to the living room.
Livingston put up a fight and was able to flee from the house, but not before the brothers fired at him using weapons that could be switched to automatic mode.
The victim managed to make his way to a nearby street corner where he received a ride to the hospital. This shooting is just one of many acts of violence that have been taking place in Montgomery over the past month.
‘A wall of silence’
According to Maj. Saba Coleman of the Montgomery Police Department, there were 10 non-fatal shootings from July 28 to July 31, spanning four days from Friday to Monday.
Although the department couldn’t provide the exact number of non-fatal shootings, it is still higher than last year’s figures. MPD Capt. A. D. Payne revealed that there were 49 homicides in Montgomery by the end of July.
The department successfully solved 29 cases, but there were more homicides this year compared to the same period last year, which had only 39. Unfortunately, the department has faced difficulties prosecuting suspects in non-fatal shootings due to victims’ reluctance to cooperate.
“A lot of our shooting victims are refusing to prosecute and creating a wall of silence,” explained Coleman. Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed believes the recent increase in shootings is related to Alabama’s new permitless carry law.
The law, which came into effect on January 1, abolished the need to have a permit to carry a concealed weapon in public. Reed brought up this issue during a Montgomery City Council meeting on June 20, where he spoke with concerned citizens from the Edgewood neighbourhood. He expressed his concern about the law, saying, “We allow anyone to carry a gun.”
Bullets with no address
At a community meeting, Emily Wise, a resident of Edgewood, expressed her frustration with the city’s inaction in response to frequent shootings in the neighbourhood. Along with her neighbour Tara Bush, Wise is concerned about the safety of their children who are growing up in the city.
They’ve heard gunshots in their area on a regular basis and have reported unanswered 911 calls and a lack of police response. Wise said she remembers a time when Montgomery was revitalizing and the city felt safer, but now she wants to feel that hope again.
Meanwhile, in another part of town, Angela Exford, the president of the Seth Johnson Neighborhood Association, has also heard regular gunfire in her neighbourhood.
One night, after a community meeting, she and two others were in the parking lot of Narrow Lane Baptist Church when they heard what sounded like firecrackers. Suddenly, they saw flashes and heard the unmistakable sound of rapid gunfire. Exford and her companions hit the ground and tried to take cover under their cars.
Exford called 911, but the gunfire felt like it lasted forever. Exford and her neighbours later addressed the city council, pleading for help from the people of Montgomery.
Exford emphasized the unpredictability of the bullets and how they can hit anyone. She hopes the public understands that once a bullet leaves the chamber, it has no address and can harm anyone in its path.
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