Flint police believe there may be some link between the city’s more than 20 recent homicides. And now, city officials are asking for the public’s help. Flint Mayor Dayne Walling set the tone at a news conference Tuesday about the recent surge of murders in his city by saying, "the killings and criminals must be stopped."
Flint’s murder rate is on pace to set a record. Last year, Flint recorded 66 murders, which was a record. The city already has more than 20 homicides this year.
Flint Public Safety Director Alvern Lock expresses some frustration at the rising violence.
“You know the only way we could stop a lot of these from happening is if we were standing on the corner when they occur.”
Lock says they have suspects or people charged in 14 of the 21 murders in Flint this year. He says police suspect a connection in some of the cases, but they can’t prove that connection right now.
Lock denies that cuts to Flint’s police department have played a role in the increase in the city’s increase homicide rate. The city has eliminated more than 100 positions in the police department since 2008.
