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"We have witnesses refusing to cooperate:" Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin urges community to help police solve violent crime

"We have witnesses refusing to cooperate:" Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin urges community to help police solve violent crime
13 NEWS AT FIVE STARTS NOW. BIRMINGHAM MAYOR RANDALL WOODFIN SOUNDING OFF ABOUT THE COMMUNITY鈥橲 LACK OF HELP WHEN IT COMES TO SOLVING VIOLENT CRIMES. THANKS FOR JOINING US AT FIVE. I鈥橫 GUY RAWLINGS AND I鈥橫 SHERI FALK. RECENT SHOOTINGS CLAIMED THE LIFE OF AN ELDERLY MAN AND HURT TWO CHILDREN. PEOPLE WOODFIN CONSIDERS TO BE THE MOST VULNERABLE IN OUR COMMUNITY AS 米兰体育 13. JARVIS ROBERTSON WAS AT THAT NEWS CONFERENCE THIS MORNING AND JOINS US LIVE FROM CITY HALL. JARVIS, DOES THE MAYOR鈥橲 OFFICE HAVE A PLAN TO PUT AN END TO VIOLENT CRIME. WELL, SHERRY, THE MAYOR鈥橲 OFFICE DID HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE OPERATIONS AND PROGRAMS AROUND THE CITY. THE COURTS AND THE SCHOOLS AIMED AT CURBING VIOLENCE. AND TO SOME DEGREE, HE COULD SAY THAT THOSE PROGRAMS ARE WORKING NOW, ONE OF THE MAIN POINTS IN TODAY鈥橲 NEWS CONFERENCE WAS THE LACK OF WITNESS COOPERATION WITH POLICE. WHEN IT COMES TO SOLVING VIOLENT CRIMES. NOW HE FEELS THAT PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE HARBORING WANTED SUSPECTS. NEITHER SHOULD THEY BE HARMING THE MOST VULNERABLE IN OUR COMMUNITIES. GUN VIOLENCE OVER 72 HOUR WINDOW WHERE OUR MOST VULNERABLE IN OUR COMMUNITY WERE SHOT. MAYOR RANDALL WOODFIN REMAINS FRUSTRATED WITH THE VIOLENT SHOOTINGS IN BIRMINGHAM TUESDAY AFTERNOON. IT WAS 62 YEAR OLD MICHAEL COLEMAN AS HE SAT IN HIS WHEELCHAIR UNDER A TREE IN WOODLAWN SUNDAY NIGHT. IT WAS A NINE YEAR OLD GIRL NAMED LONDON WHILE SHE WAS IN THE CAR WITH HER MOTHER AND SIBLINGS IN THE GATE CITY NEIGHBORHOOD EARLIER THAT DAY. IT WAS AN 11 YEAR OLD BOY NAMED MASON AND HIS FATHER IN THE WEST BIRMINGHAM AREA. ONE OF THE MAIN ISSUES WE HAVE WITNESSES THAT ARE REFUSING TO COOPERATE IN THE WOODLAWN CASE, WOODFIN SAYS. THE PEOPLE WHO WERE WITH COLEMAN KNOW SOMETHING ONE OR MORE. YOU SHOT BACK, YOU SAW THE ENTIRE THING. WE NEED YOU TO COME FORWARD. TUESDAY EVENING, COLEMAN鈥橲 SISTER IN LAW TOLD ME HE WAS IN THE LATE STAGES OF ALS. SHEILA COLEMAN SAYS MICHAEL WAS LOVED BY MANY IN HIS COMMUNITY. WE REALLY FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, HE鈥橲 BEEN ROBBED FROM HIS LIFE EVEN THOUGH HE HAD ALS, BECAUSE HE COULD HAVE BEEN HERE ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER TEN DAYS, ANOTHER 20 DAYS. WHILE VIOLENCE CONTINUES TO BE A PROBLEM, WOODFIN SAYS CRIME IS DOWN IN SOME CATEGORY BUT IS UP WHEN IT COMES TO MURDER. I ASKED HIM IF HIS OFFICE AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT ARE TOUGH ON CRIME. HE SAYS YES BECAUSE OF A MULTIFACETED APPROACH. WE DON鈥橳 PUBLICLY NAME ALL OF OUR OPERATIONS AS IT RELATES TO THE SUPPRESSION OF VIOLENT CRIME IN OUR CITY. IT WORKS. HERE IS WHAT THOSE PROGRAMS AND OPERATIONS CAN鈥橳 PREDICT. YOU FALL OUT WITH YOUR FRIEND, Y鈥橝LL. BEEF OVER SOMETHING ONE OF Y鈥橝LL SHOOT AT THE OTHER. YOU MISS YOUR FRIEND SHOOTS BACK. NOW THE MAYOR ALSO TALKED ABOUT A SPECIFIC FUND THAT WAS CREATED IN A PARTNERSHIP WITH CRIME STOPPERS AIMED AT SOLVING CRIMES THAT INVOLVE CHILDREN AS THE VICTIM. HE SAYS THAT FUND CURRENTLY HAS $80,000 RATED TO BE DISBURSED TO HELP SOLVE THE CRIME. BUT HE SAYS THAT MONEY SHOULD NOT BE DANGLED IN THE FACE OF PEOPLE TO DO THE RIGHT THING. NOW, AROUND 115 THIS AFTERNOON, I DID REACH OUT TO THE BIRMINGHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY NEW DEVELOPMENTS OR TO FIND OUT ABOUT THE CARD THAT THE SUSPECT OR SUSPECTS WERE DRIVING IN YESTERDAY鈥橲 HOMICIDE. AS OF RIGHT NOW, I HAVE NOT HEARD BACK REPORTING LIVE IN DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM AT CIT
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"We have witnesses refusing to cooperate:" Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin urges community to help police solve violent crime
Birmingham's Mayor Randall Woodfin is calling on communities to step-up and help police solve violent crime. The mayor addressed gun violence in the city over the past 72 hours. Two children were injured in shootings on Mother's Day. The mayor said an 11-year-old boy named Mason is recovering in the hospital after he and his father were shot.> > PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Father and young son shot in targeted shooting on Mother's Day in BirminghamHe also said a 9-year-old girl named London was shot in a separate incident. She was caught in the crossfire of a shootout in Gate City.> > PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Young girl shot twice during shootout in Birmingham's Gate CityA wheelchair-bound man was shot and killed on Tuesday in Woodlawn. The mayor said that 62-year-old Michael Coleman was hanging out with a group of people under a tree when someone in a car drove up and shot at the group, targeting one of the people. That person shot back, and all the people under the tree ran for cover. But Mr. Coleman was not able to escape.That tree was a familiar and some sort of comfort for Coleman. His sister-in-law told 米兰体育 13 yesterday that he was in the and stage of ALS.Woodfin spoke candidly about the Coleman homicide, saying one of the people he was with could've at least helped Coleman escape from the gunfire since he was in his wheelchair.Wednesday morning the mayor told us that he'd been in contact with the victim's family. "At a minimum, cooperate with the police," Woodfin said. "I want to make that point very clear, there were too many people outside with Mr. Coleman."> > PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man in wheelchair killed in apparent drive-by in Woodlawn neighborhoodThe mayor expressed frustration that people are seeing violence and not getting involved. He called for citizens to call 911 any time they see anything.Woodfin says there is a fund with Crime Stoppers that has $80,000. It is specifically set aside to help solve cases involving children.>> 米兰体育 13 ON-THE-GO: Download our app for free

Birmingham's Mayor Randall Woodfin is calling on communities to step-up and help police solve violent crime.

The mayor addressed gun violence in the city over the past 72 hours.

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Two children were injured in shootings on Mother's Day. The mayor said an 11-year-old boy named Mason is recovering in the hospital after he and his father were shot.

> > PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Father and young son shot in targeted shooting on Mother's Day in Birmingham

He also said a 9-year-old girl named London was shot in a separate incident. She was caught in the crossfire of a shootout in Gate City.

> > PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Young girl shot twice during shootout in Birmingham's Gate City

A wheelchair-bound man was shot and killed on Tuesday in Woodlawn. The mayor said that 62-year-old Michael Coleman was hanging out with a group of people under a tree when someone in a car drove up and shot at the group, targeting one of the people. That person shot back, and all the people under the tree ran for cover. But Mr. Coleman was not able to escape.

That tree was a familiar and some sort of comfort for Coleman. His sister-in-law told 米兰体育 13 yesterday that he was in the and stage of ALS.

Woodfin spoke candidly about the Coleman homicide, saying one of the people he was with could've at least helped Coleman escape from the gunfire since he was in his wheelchair.

Wednesday morning the mayor told us that he'd been in contact with the victim's family.

"At a minimum, cooperate with the police," Woodfin said. "I want to make that point very clear, there were too many people outside with Mr. Coleman."

> > PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man in wheelchair killed in apparent drive-by in Woodlawn neighborhood

The mayor expressed frustration that people are seeing violence and not getting involved. He called for citizens to call 911 any time they see anything.

Woodfin says there is a fund with Crime Stoppers that has $80,000. It is specifically set aside to help solve cases involving children.

>> 米兰体育 13 ON-THE-GO: Download our app for free