'As a community, we are hurting.' Recent Springfield gun violence causes growing concern

After a string of recent fatal shootings in Springfield, concerns about gun violence and its continuing toll on the community were in the spotlight at Monday's City Council meeting.

Since the previous Monday, Lacey Nix, 32, Chaviz Nguyen, 26, and Nathan Williams, 25, all lost their lives to gun violence in Springfield. With the succession of young lives lost to weapons, community members brought their concerns and requests for actions to council.

Springfield NAACP President Kai Sutton was among those who addressed council, calling for more collaboration across the entire community in finding solutions to gun violence in the city, including listening to those with first-hand experience.

"As a community, we are hurting. This is all of our problem. If we don't come together, it's only going to get worse," she said. "And to be honest, in my opinion, this is the worse."

Sutton asked for more resources for parents and children alike, noting that "unlocking" the minds of young people is key to addressing the issue.

"We need to show our children other ways to deal with their anger," she said. "They literally think they're in survival mode of kill or be killed every day."

Councilman Abe McGull said that as a federal prosecutor, he saw first-hand how many of those prosecuted for gun violence had not finished high school, echoing Sutton's call for collaborative efforts.

"This is an issue that's been a problem for a lot of cities here in America," he said.

Joining Sutton was Renee Goodwin, who asked council members to listen to the community and meet them with respect and support. For Goodwin, whose family's roots in the area stretch as far as a century back, starting a conversation around the issue and how to address it is paramount.

Speakers noted that A Gun Safety and Violence Collaborative has been established by the Community Partnership of the Ozarks to begin the discussion around the issue and create an action plan for change.

Chief presents data, says shots fired on the decline

Despite recent events, Police Chief Paul Williams noted in his report to council that the number of shots fired calls recorded in the city is lower than in years past. The data includes numbers through the end of October and does not account for the three fatal shootings last week.

In October, there were 29 shots fired calls with two injured, while in October 2020 there were 36 shots fired calls with six injured. Almost every month, shots fired have been lower than the same month last year.

"If that trend continues, we will be lower than we had been for the last four or five years," Williams said.

Williams also presented data showing fewer handguns are being stolen from vehicles. The department has already seized 230 illegal guns as of Oct. 31, which exceeds the number each year since 2020 and Williams said would set the record.

Overall, Williams said crime is trending in a positive direction. However, data from Jan. 1-Sept. 30 reveals that manslaughter and nonnegligent manslaughter cases have only lowered by one compared to last year. While most other categories for crimes against persons are trending down, simple assault has increased by 14.1%.

Struggles with staffing

Recruitment and retention continue to present struggles for the Springfield Police Department. Williams said the department currently has 60 vacancies which will grow by the end of the year as some current staff retire.

He said the lack of a full force has made the department evaluate where officers are assigned, with patrol being a priority. Williams highlighted the process of being hired into the SPD Academy and how the process can whittle 251 applicants down to 23 hires, not all of which are actually graduating in December.

Officers who look to come back to the police department usually have to go through the same process as new recruits, Williams said. While Councilman Craig Hosmer said that doesn't make sense and experienced officers should be given easier avenues of rejoining, Williams said the process is outlined in the City Charter.

More: 'Stop the gun violence!': Concerned citizens gather in wake of Chaviz Nguyen's death

But being completely staffed is not a realistic goal either. Williams said that in his 13 years at the department, they have been at full staff only three times — and that was during the first three days of the academy, since the recruits count as sworn officers despite not yet serving on the streets.

Usually, the department has been 20-25 people short. With the current vacancy tripling that, Williams said his goal is to hit that normal range by 2025.

Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Contact her with tips at mmieze@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield gun violence shrinks by the numbers, swells in public eye