In Flint, city officials, law enforcement and church leaders are concerned about a rise in violent crime.
There have been 34 murders in Flint this year. That’s up from 30 this time last year.
Police Chief Tim Johnson says suspects in a triple homicide over the weekend are in custody.
“They could have resolved this in different ways rather than taking the lives that they took,” says Johnson.
Johnson himself was involved in a shooting last week. The police chief wounded one of two men who were allegedly involved in a gunfight on the city’s east side.
Flint Mayor Karen Weaver calls the city’s violent crime a “public health issue.”
“We have young people taking out another generation,” says Weaver. “There have to be some alternatives to thinking the only way you can something is to kill somebody.”
Flint is not alone among mid-sized Michigan cities dealing with a spurt of violence.
During a 24-hour period this weekend, Grand Rapids recorded a rash of shootings that left two people dead. They were the 12th and 13th murders in Grand Rapids this year.
