‘We have to act now.’ Community members plead for change to combat Lexington gun violence
In 2021, Lexington’s recorded 37 homicides, which broke the previous year’s record for the city. Five months through 2022, Lexington is on pace to once again break its yearly homicide record.
Twenty-one homicides have been committed through five months in 2022, 16 of which were a result of gun violence. All but one of the 37 homicides in 2021 were also a result of gun violence. Eleven people were killed in the month of May, nine of which died via gunshots, according to Lexington police data. Eleven more were shot in May, including four on Memorial Day.
Speakers at a rally held Thursday for Gun Violence Awareness Day said they wanted to make efforts to curb shootings.
“I don’t know if we can do enough as an individual, it’s going to take a combined effort from the whole community to make a difference,” said April Ballentine.
Ballentine said she was shot by her boyfriend Wendell Dixon five times in August 2013. She said she “flatlined” three times during the initial aftermath of the shooting and needed multiple blood transfusions to survive.
“I actually woke up on the floor with a white sheet over me, and all I could say is, ‘I got to get up, I got to get up, I got to get up,” Ballentine said.
Ballentine suffered a major spinal cord injury from the shooting that has her relying on a highly-technical wheelchair for mobility. She reminded people to not take life for granted, as you don’t know when it can drastically change like it did for her nearly nine years ago.
“Everyday, it bears a challenge to live. Everyday there’s a challenge to do just one thing that you can just get up and do just like that, and it’s all because of a senseless act of violence by a gunshot,” Ballentine said.
Ballentine was one of many victims who spoke at a gun violence awareness gathering in front of Fayette District Court in downtown Lexington for Gun Violence Awareness Day on Friday. Others who spoke included Sheriff Kathy Witt, faith community leaders, state Sen. Reggie Thomas and Mayor Linda Gorton.
Gorton proclaimed June 3-5 as “Wear Orange Weekend” in Lexington. Orange is the symbolic color for gun violence awareness, and dozens in the crowd donned orange in support of the many who spoke.
The helix parking garage and city center will be lit orange all weekend in support of gun violence awareness. National landmarks like the Empire State Building, Superdome in New Orleans and Washington National Cathedral will also light up with orange Friday.
Speakers at Friday’s gathering wanted to motivate the community to enact change, and encourage citizens with information about shootings to speak up. Sharing information often leads to crimes being solved, said Shawn Coleman assistant chief with the Lexington Police Department.
“Silence brings about more violence,” Coleman said. “This won’t be solved by law enforcement, this won’t be solved by legislation, it has to be solved by the people of the community. We have to come together, we have to support everybody and work together to do it.”
Coleman said one of the most tragic parts of gun violence is seeing surviving friends and family react to tragedy.
“That’s something that I can’t even put into words, the pain that I’ve witnessed,” Coleman said. “It’s something I wish I hadn’t over the years, but it’s been there forever.”
Shelby Howard, whose brother, Sean Howard, was shot and killed in August 2017, shared how difficult it can be to deal with grief. She said it’s become normal now, along with the constant memorials, candlelight vigils and messages of thoughts and prayers for other victims.
“I don’t know about you guys but I’m very tired of normal,” Howard said. “As a community, we have to act now and make a change.”
The suspect charged with Sean Howard’s killing was acquitted late last year. Shelby Howard said the acquittal motivated Shelby to become a criminal prosecutor.
“I’m trying to make a change, I’m just asking you to think what can you do,” Howard said. “Support your community. Support events like these. Support your friends and family who have lost someone to gun violence, and vote.”
State senator offers thoughts on gun control
State Sen. Reggie Thomas also spoke at the event and said he wants simple background checks to be performed for people trying to buy guns.
Thomas said eight out of nine people in Lexington want background checks for firearm purchases, according to data from the mayor. But under Kentucky law, all gun laws are universal across the state, which Thomas thinks is an issue. Thomas said he thinks urban areas should have the ability to create rules and regulations that wouldn’t necessarily apply for rural areas.
“We’re going to change that law and allow for urban issues to have the flexibility to adopt gun laws that are different from rural issues,” Thomas said.
Thomas also said he wants to propose a crisis aversion and rights reaction order. He said one thing that’s common among all mass shootings across Kentucky and the United States is red flag warnings from the perpetrators.
A crisis aversion and rights reaction order would make it possible for people experiencing mental health issues to have their firearms taken away.
“Nobody is trying to take away the Second Amendment, that’s part of our constitution,” Thomas said. “But like every other right is not unlimited, is not unconditional.”
Thomas said he’s going to file legislation during the next session to propose that order.
This story was originally published June 3, 2022 at 2:20 PM.
CORRECTION: State Sen. Reggie Thomas was misidentified in a previous version of this story.
