State and local leaders speak at Operation West Laurel meeting to address violence

Gov. John Carney was among several state and local officials who came together recently to address a rise in shooting deaths in Laurel.

Hosted by Operation West Laurel, the event drew over 100 people Sunday to the former Paul Laurence Dunbar Elementary School, located in west Laurel itself.

"It's no secret that’s where most of our crime and the murders have taken place," Operation West Laurel organizer Amy Handy said. "We have work to do. We're not going to stop ... until our community is safe."

Laurel, a small town in western Sussex County, is home to about 4,000 people. Three people have been shot and killed there this year, while there was only one homicide in the four years prior. Two of this year's homicides remain unsolved.

"We're telling (parents), 'You gotta keep your kids off the streets,' and for the most part they are because they're afraid," Handy said.

Two of Laurel's shooting victims were 18-year-old Laurel High School students, both killed in the afternoon. Corey Mumford was the first killed, on April 14 in Wexford Village apartments. Police have said he was not the intended target of the shooting, and three arrests have been made in his killing.

Eighteen-year-old Kylee Robinson was shot and killed Oct. 29 on the porch of a home in the 500 block of W. Seventh St. Two other juvenile males, ages 15 and 13, were also shot but survived. No arrests have been made.

Taylor German, 26, was shot and killed in a car outside Little Creek apartments Sept. 10. A 31-year-old Millsboro man who was also in the car was shot but survived. No arrests have been made in that case, either.

Operation West Laurel was formed at New Zion United Methodist Church in Laurel on the day of Mumford's slaying, according to organizer Amy Handy. They formed a "prayer walk team" that walks the streets of west Laurel offering to pray with anyone willing. The group has been meeting with state and local officials to try to find solutions to the violence.

In addition to the governor, the panel of speakers at the Nov. 12 meeting included Laurel Mayor John Shwed, Town Manager Jamie Smith, Police Chief Danny Wright and Rep. Tim Dukes of Laurel. Also in attendance at the meeting were Laurel town council members; Seaford Mayor David Genshaw; Sussex County Council President Michael Vincent; and Rep. Danny Short and Sen. Bryant Richardson, both of Seaford.

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Wright shared his frustration with the crowd.

"There are people in this group who have heard or know who shot who. We can't sit here and play this game anymore," he told the crowd.

Shwed said the town government installed speed bumps on West Seventh Street at the request of residents and is having discussions about curfews, as well.

"We know that's not a cure-all, but we're looking at that as a way to try get young people off the streets," he said.

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The Laurel Town Council voted to raise property taxes 30% in August to fund more police officers, Shwed pointed out; however, the department currently has four open positions. It's not just an issue of funding, Wright said, but of recruitment.

"We need to bring in more police immediately," Handy said. "The National Guard, I don't care what it is."

Harold Stafford, president of the Dover-based nonprofit Help Initiative, also spoke at the meeting. His organization has installed light fixtures and surveillance cameras in Laurel, he said, and they plan to install license plate readers in the future.

Many community members took the opportunity to speak to the community, as well, including the mothers of Kylee Robinson and Corey Mumford.

"Every time this happens, the healing cannot occur. It's just like opening these wounds ... all over again," said Corey Mumford's mother, Tesha Horsey.

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"What are we gonna do about the issue of the guns? Yes, we need more police. Yes, we need more security. Yes, we need programs. But these children would not be dead if it was a fistfight," Horsey said. "So we also need to address – the state of Delaware – the issues with the guns that are legally coming into our community."

Anyone with information about the homicides should contact the Laurel Police Department at 302-875-2244. Information can be provided anonymously through Delaware Crime Stoppers.

Anyone who wants to get involved with Operation West Laurel should email operationwestlaurel@gmail.com.

Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on Sussex County and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Governor and other leaders speak at Operation West Laurel meeting