In seven weeks, from May 1 through Wednesday of this week, 11 shooting incidents, including three homicides resulting in murder charges and other crimes in which people were wounded or shot at, occurred in Statesboro.

When Police Chief Mike Broadhead provided a list Tuesday evening to City Council, the count stood at 10 incidents, including two homicides. The first was the June 5 shooting death of Brandon McCray on Bea Dot Way in a domestic dispute. The death early Sunday, June 14, of Haley Hutcheson, 17, shot while in a vehicle on Veterans Memorial Parkway, was noted with sadness during the council meeting. Since then, the death Wednesday night of John Edwin Henry, shot during a domestic dispute on East Main Street, added a third killing in June.

“Is this unique to Statesboro, or is this something that you see trending across the country?” Mayor Jonathan McCollar asked Broadhead after seeing the list Tuesday.

“Mayor, that's a great question,” he answered. “I do see it trending all across the country. I have friends in law enforcement in a number of cities across America, and all of them are seeing this exact same uptick in violence.

“I think that what we are seeing is a psychological issue related to the anxiety of the pandemic, the restrictions that were in place I think people were trying to rebel against in some cases, and then obviously the Minneapolis murder that has really kind of lit the country on fire and we're seeing a lot of angst and anxiety over that,” Broadhead said. “That, I just think, is manifesting itself in outward acts of frustration and violence.”

By “the Minneapolis murder,” he was referring to the death of George Floyd while in the custody of four now-fired police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The week of Floyd’s death,

the Statesboro chief issued a statement calling the actions of those Minneapolis officers “not defensible” and the need of good police officers to take a stand “a simple matter of right and wrong.”

One of the former Minneapolis officers, Derek Chauvin, has since been charged with second-degree murder, and the three others are charged with aiding and abetting murder.

Statesboro’s mayor and council members praised Broadhead for his response to the recent, peaceful local “Black Lives Matter” protests. He has repeatedly met with demonstrators and walked with them in marches, and he gave a presentation Tuesday showing that specific SPD policies already address almost all of the “8 Can’t Wait” demands for policing reforms.

The most in years

But the mayor also took note of the increase in shootings.

“We’re seeing that this is not unique to Statesboro, but this is still Statesboro, and we want to make sure that our citizens are as safe as possible,” McCollar said.

Ironically, earlier this spring during Georgia’s COVID-19 shelter-in-place order, local law enforcement agencies reported a downturn in crime, especially property crimes.

But May and June 2020 have been the most violent two months in Statesboro since Broadhead arrived as chief three years ago, he confirmed Friday.

“I’ve never seen a run like this since I’ve been here,” he said.

Only one aggravated assault with a firearm was reported in Statesboro in May 2019 and only one in June 2019. However, a homicide by shooting also occurred in June 2019. James “PJ” Mikell Jr., 16, was found dead with gunshot wounds at Luetta Moore Park the morning of June 22, one year ago this Monday. No arrest has been made for his killing.

“PJ was killed, it will be 365 days in six days from now,” McCollar said. “Haley, she just lost her life, and I’m going to tell you guys like I told her family this morning at the press conference, if any child is in Statesboro, then that’s our child, and so we’re going to do everything we can to make sure these families can get some closure.”

Broadhead told the elected officials Tuesday that police were close to making an arrest in the killing of Hutcheson, who was from Bellville in Evans County.

William Marcus Wilson, 21, of Sharpsburg, then surrendered to police Wednesday to face charges of felony murder and aggravated assault. As previously reported, suspects have also been charged in the unrelated deaths of Brandon McCray and John Edwin Henry.

Some gang-related

McCollar suggested a link between crime prevention and plans for park improvements and support for youth programs, which the council also discussed.

“We’re going to have to engage our young people on a real level because we have gangs moving into this community, and they are engaging our young people on a real level,” he said.

No connections with gang or drug activity have been identified in any of the three homicides this month. But Broadhead noted suspected or “definite” gang or drug connections in six of the other shooting incidents.

These are the non-fatal incidents from his list:

• May 6 – “Shots fired toward an individual near Eagle Gate Apartments on South Mulberry Street. No one injured. Victim refused to cooperate with the investigation. Unknown gang or drug ties.”
• May 13 – “Shots exchanged between two groups at Little Lotts Creek Apartments. No injuries. Two people taken into custody... Domestic dispute-related. Gang ties noted.”
• May 31 – “Shots fired at a large gathering in Save-A-Lot parking lot after several hundred people gathered for a house party on Best Street. No injuries. No cooperative witnesses were discovered who would provide information to police. No gang or drug ties noted.”
• June 3 – “Resident of Village at Mill Creek Apartments on East Main Street shot in front of his residence and transported to Savannah. He remains in the hospital and may suffer some permanent paralyses. One suspect is in custody and efforts to identify the second suspect are ongoing. … Drug and gang ties are suspected.”
• June 3 – “Building at Morris Heights Apartments struck by multiple gunshots in drive-by shooting. No injuries. … Persons of interest identified. Shooting suspected to be retaliation for the earlier Village at Mill Creek shooting. Gang ties suspected.”
• June 6 – “Multiple shots fired into a residence (on) West Parrish Street. No injuries. … Warrants issued for one suspect. … Drug ties suspected.”
• June 7 – “Exchange of gunfire on West Main Street between two groups who were part of a large crowd on the street after closing time at Southern City Lounge. One male shot in back. Despite the large crowd no witnesses came forward. … One (suspect) arrested, and an arrest warrant issued on a second suspect. Four guns recovered. Definite drug and gang ties.”
• June 11 – “Male shot in the head at his back door while investigating a suspicious noise. Wound was superficial. Drug evidence recovered from home, with drug and gang ties suspected.”

An incident Broadhead noted Friday could qualify as 12th on the list. In the very early hours of Thursday, officers heard several shots and responded to Little Lotts Creek Apartments. No injuries or damage were reported, but a man was arrested on drug possession charges.

SPD detectives have been “working literally around the clock,” Broadhead told the council.

“We have seven detectives in this city, and they are literally busting their hump to try to make arrests in these cases … I’m real proud of them and the work that they’re doing.”