Multiple residents accused the commission of being apathetic or even profiting from selling places where kids congregate.
Commissioner Krystal Brown, who said she has personally witnessed and been near gun violence, strongly protested assertions that commissioners don’t care. She said as a teacher at Springfield City Schools, she has seen several of her students either victim to or perpetrator of gun violence.
“I personally take offense to ... the blanket statements that no one on City Commission cares about gun violence,” Brown said. “What we continue to do as a nation, as a community, as a state, is we continue to put Band-Aids on things and we talk about all the things in the room except for the elephant in the room. And the elephant in the room is the fact that we don’t address poverty and we don’t address systemic racism.”
Most recently, Aryah Mobley, 21, was indicted on murder and aggravated burglary charges in connection with a fatal shooting May 20. Mobley was not the shooter, according to police. Sgt. James Byron said previously that Mobley and an accomplice, Brian Hinshaw, broke into a home in the 600 block of South Lowry Avenue, and the homeowner shot Hinshaw dead.
Randy Graham was shot and killed May 14 on Buckeye Street, followed by 16-year-old Da’Meko Taborn’s death the same day. Taborn was found in a black SUV that crashed into a house at Limestone Street and Euclid Avenue. He had a gunshot wound to his head.
For Graham’s homicide, Elijah Thomas, 21, faces two counts of murder, as well as a host of other charges. Taborn’s shooting remains under investigation. Another nonfatal shooting happened 20 minutes after Taborn’s, just down the street.
Credit: Jessica Orozco
Credit: Jessica Orozco
Graham’s father figure, David Rose, gave an impassioned plea to commissioners and the community, asking for the violence to stop.
“You guys don’t understand the hurt until it hits home,” Rose said, before speaking about a 1997 incident in which his sister and niece were killed and other niece paralyzed. “Now my son’s taken from me. ... What do we got to do for you guys to wake up on this board to stop selling everything? Make something for the kids to do positive.”
Rose, along with others, said there are not enough activities keeping kids from encountering dangerous influences, a claim to which the commission later objected.
Commissioner Tracey Tackett, who routinely lists upcoming activities in Springfield during commission meetings, said there is a lot for children to do and keep busy, especially during the summer. She pointed to events at the library, Clark County Partners in Prevention, United Way and Springfield High.
Springfield saw an increase in homicides from 2021 to 2023, with a drop in 2024 followed by a rise so far in 2025. There were nine homicides in 2021, eight in 2022, 11 in 2023, six in 2024 and seven in just five months so far this year.
The federal government in April canceled $1.24 million of a gun violence prevention grant in Springfield. The grant, originally for about $1.6 million, funded an effort in Springfield to address violence, particularly among young people. Almost $400,000 has been invested in planning and efforts to launch street outreach since it was awarded in 2023. All efforts are now on pause.
Credit: Jessica Orozco
Credit: Jessica Orozco
Tackett, who has an 18-year-old son, said in speaking with him, she learned how easy it is for kids and teens to obtain guns through connections on social media.
The commissioner said she works with the juvenile court system and was involved in the gun violence grant that was partially cancelled.
“If you want to talk about there’s no work being done by commissioners in regards to gun violence, you are way off,” Tackett said.
After Brown’s comments, Rose shouted out that “everybody can sit up here and go home and see their kids. I can’t.” He urged people to “be part of the solution.”
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