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'You have our attention': Police hold press conference amid crime wave in Baton Rouge

5 years 4 months 2 days ago Thursday, November 15 2018 Nov 15, 2018 November 15, 2018 6:00 PM November 15, 2018 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - The Baton Rouge Police Department says officers will be out in force amid a spike in violent crimes for the city.

The declaration came less than 24 hours after back-to-back shootings Thursday evening. Despite no deaths being reported in those instances, 10 homicides have been investigated so far in the month of November, including that of a 6-year-old. That's four more in the first couple weeks than the city saw in the entire month last year.

Four people have been killed in the Baton Rouge metro area this past week alone. Chief Murphy Paul said the department needs more help from the community to curtail the violence.

"Give us an opportunity to address the threat," Paul said in a Friday press conference. "There are people out there listening who have information. Give us an opportunity to stop this beef that's going on in the streets... Let us stop it before the crime happens."

The morning conference came on the heels of an especially violent stretch Wednesday and Thursday. Two people were killed in a quadruple shooting Wednesday night, with a third person dying from their injuries the next day.

On Thursday evening, two separate shootings were reported less than an hour apart. The first happened around 5 p.m. near the intersection of Sherwood Street and North Foster Drive. Another was reported shortly afterward outside the Triple A store on Elmer Avenue. Two people were taken to the hospital in those shootings.

Chief Deputy Robert McGarner said officers are now being rescheduled and reorganized to better address the problem areas in the city. McGarner and other law enforcement at the conference said the spike in violence was especially frustrating after a relatively peaceful summer.

"Apparently when we stood up here and talked a couple of weeks ago, y'all thought we were playing. Well, y'all have our undivided attention," McGarner said.

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