ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — "Enough is enough." That's the message St. Pete leaders echoed during another "Enough Is Enough" rally Saturday afternoon, as they called for an end to gun violence in the city.
They're asking for the community to get involved in their movement.
Saturday's rally was the second of many to come in St. Pete.
“We wanted to do a sign-waving today. We want to get the community involved. We want the community to see us,” said St. Pete City Council Member Lisa Wheeler-Bowman.
A community divided, as gunshots ring throughout South St. Pete week after week.
“We are actually killing each other,” said St. Pete City Council Member Deborah Figgs-Sanders.
Local leaders organized Saturday's rally at the corner of U.S. 19 and 18th Ave S. just days after another shooting in South St. Pete left a St. Pete police officer injured, and a man dead.
“I get there to find out that another young man lost his life, that one of our police officers was wounded in the act… then I realized this is our reality,” said Council Member Figgs-Sanders.
Wednesday's shooting was just the latest in a recent string of shootings in the area.
“Food Max has a history of having people killed up at that store,” said Council Member Wheeler-Bowman.
Police say they were conducting an investigation into 20-year-old Dominique Harris, who was wanted on charges of child abuse.
Detectives found Harris inside his car at Food Max and say they blocked him in when he ignored their commands. They say Harris hit a police cruiser attempting to get away, before shooting a detective with a handgun.
“I just wish another choice was made by, by Mr. Harris,” said Council Member Wheeler-Bowman.
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office says six officers with the St. Pete Police Department fired more than 50 rounds at Harris, hitting him more than 30 times. They say Harris died at the hospital.
“I want the investigation to continue and bring out the actual facts of what happened,” said Council Member Wheeler-Bowman.
Local leaders say there is a problem in South St. Pete.
“We don’t like to see the gatherings on 16th Street, that they are now calling Crenshaw Blvd., where people are being killed. We don’t like seeing the corner stores allowing people selling drugs out of them. We don’t like seeing them allowing people to gather and they won’t sign blanket trespassing warrants so that our police officers can go and do their job,” said Council Member Wheeler-Bowman.
They're begging the community to take notice, regardless of what side of the city you live on, and say "enough is enough."
“Just because it did not cross your door, doesn’t mean it did not impact you. And we’re gonna hold a partner collaboration meeting so that we can ask everybody that wants to play a role, everyone that has specialties that can provide a service to this movement, we’re gonna need you," said Council Member Wheeler-Bowman.
The group says they plan to hold their "Enough Is Enough" rallies at least once a month for the foreseeable future.
