Recent Increase In Violence Has Community Members Calling For Action

BOSTON (CBS) – The shooting in Roxbury is just one of several to happen this week in the city. The uptick in shootings has people coming together to try to make sense of why it keeps happening.

There have been more than 90 shootings this year, 19 of them fatal and several in recent weeks.

"As a father, you wanna send your kids outside to the park to play – safely – by themselves. It almost holds us hostage," said Ricardo Garcia, of Mattapan.

He was part of a group of fathers brought together by the killing of a 74-year-old Mattapan grandmother.

"It's heart-breaking to see our children are not being given a real chance," said longtime Roxbury Rev. Evan Hines, who runs a youth summer program out of his church.

Hines met with Mayor Marty Walsh and Police Commissioner William Gross several weeks ago to come up with a plan.

"And I want other young people, especially teens, young men, especially, to be able to look at me and say, 'If that guy can make it out of the hood and not be a statistic, then I can, too.'" Hines said.

Violence has been such a problem that police responded to the area of Southampton twice in a matter of 12 hours for two separate stabbings.

"It's always violence here. You can say it's a common thing. You can say everybody is used to it already," said Rosie Virula.

District Attorney Rachael Rollins has said prosecuting these violent crimes is a top priority for her office, tweeting, "My priority is investigating and prosecuting serious, violent crimes like what happened on Maple Street and just hours before at Mary Hannon Park, where a man and an 8-year-old girl were shot."

Police have made an arrest in one of those stabbings on Southampton Street. They arrested 43-year-old Caree Burns, of Haverhill early Saturday morning. Police say the stabbing victim pointed out the suspect as he was trying to drive away from the scene. Officers pulled him over and arrested him.