MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) -Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson is calling out the criminal justice system, and blaming it for this recent violent crime wave.
Between Friday and yesterday, 14 people were shot in the Port City.
Two teens gunned down at a busy intersection in the middle of the day on Friday.
A gun battle between police and a Wilmer man at the loop on Friday as well.
Chief of Staff James Barber says he can’t remember a more violent 72 hours in mobile. Bullets went flying at 17 different locations.
Mayor Sandy Stimpson putting a lot of the blame on the court system.
“In my opinion the criminal justice system is broken. As quickly as we can make arrests, what we find is that violent offenders are immediately back out on the streets,” Mayor Stimpson said.
Police Chief Paul Prine also noting that that fixing the problem won’t happen out in the streets, but in the courtrooms.
“We can not arrest our way out of this problem. We need help. And to say that it is broken is an understatement,” Chief Prine said.
A man out on bond for a 2016 murder case could be involved for the death of the two teens who were shot on Azalea and Cottage Hill Friday.
That’s according to the police chief, who didn’t identify the suspect.
“That individual got off a murder charge because of a technicality in the court system which is unacceptable,” Prine said. “We believe that individual was responsible that led off the chain of events with the double homicide Friday.”
The mayor highlighted the hundreds of cases that need attention now and not later.
Mayor Stimpson says there are 142 murder cases awaiting grand jury, 193 murder cases awaiting trial, and more than 300 untried murder cases.
Public Safety Director Lawrence Battiste calling out parents.
Shots were fired at a vigil for the teens Sunday, all four men arrested under the age of 25, but none of them charged with firing a weapon.
“Far too many times we have buried young people in this community because parents have not stepped up and embraced their roles as parents. We need them to step up to the plate and do their part and eradicating this city of violent crime,” Battiste said.
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