September may be the deadliest month of the year in Pine Bluff. So far, there have been five murders and one attempted murder in a nine day stretch during the first two weeks of the month. The murders are still under investigation, and many of the suspects are at large.
Now the people of Pine Bluff are calling for action to stop the violence.
Reverend Jesse Turner of the Pine Bluff Wee and Seen Crime Prevention Program said, "Many of the murders in Pine Bluff over the last three years have been committed by young men less than 30 years old."
Turner is taking his call for action to the Jefferson County Courthouse, where the group is asking for the district attorney's support in setting up a three day crime conference at the Pine Bluff Convention Center to be held in January.
"We will do workshops on gun violence and domestic violence," said Turner.
Pine Bluff Police Lt. Bob Rawlinson says he welcomes the grass roots approach to crime-fighting. "It has helped in the past, and it can help in the future," said Lt. Rawlinson.
With five murders and one attempted murder in just over a week, Pine Bluff police are responding immediately. Just today, detectives say they've linked Walter Sims, age 26, to two of the shootings.
Sims is currently serving jail time. He's been charged with the attempted murder of 30 year old Cleveland Johnson;
now police say they're also charging him with the murder of Wade Miller, age 41.
Police are still looking answers to four other murders.
"It can go from domestic disturbances [and] there probably is some drug elements in all of this.... One person gets mad at another...they take a gun and they settle it," said Rawlinson.
Police say there hasn't been an increase in the number of shootings, just more people are dying.
