'It Makes My Heartbreak': Gun Violence Continues To Take Toll On Philadelphia Families As City's Homicide Numbers Rise
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia is on pace to surpass 2020's staggering homicide total. As of Friday night, there have been at least 413 homicides in the city, which is a 20% increase from this time last year.
"It makes my heartbreak and you think about the families, the heartbreak, the impact," Marla Davis Bellamy, the director of Ceasefire Philadelphia said.
Crime in the city is taking a toll on Philadelphians as another day brings another victim and a grieving family.
On Friday, Terrence Shedrick, 43, was added to a growing list of homicides. The father of six was shot and killed in a double shooting outside of a bar on Island Avenue and Elmwood in Southwest Philadelphia around 3 p.m. during happy hour.
Shedrick's wife joins families grieving victims of gun violence like the family of Nazeem Wiseman, an 18-year-old who was killed Thursday during a drive-by triple shooting on Lehigh Avenue and 16th Street. The shooting also injured a 12-year-old girl.
"Many of our community organizations and residents are under the impression that the city is going to solve this issue for us I believe," Bellamy said."
Ceasefire Philadelphia is a group that treats gun violence as a public health issue.
"What we do is actually recruit high-risk young people who in particular are 25 and younger who are deeply engaged in high-risk activity and very similar to someone who's an alcoholic who has a sponsor," Bellamy said.
Bellamy says fighting crime in the city takes a significant amount of money and resources that organizations like hers are not receiving. She's fearful Philadelphia will hit the grim milestone of record homicides.
"Unfortunately, I just don't think that we have really been able to grab a hold of what's happening," Bellamy says.
No arrests have been made in any of the shootings over the past 24 hours. There is a $20,000 reward on all homicides cases for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
For a list of gun violence resources in Philadelphia, click here.
