Police are banking on beefed-up patrols in crime hot spots to curb recent street violence, including shootings and stabbings.
Springfield police are increasing patrols in an effort to reduce the rising tide of violence, including stabbings and shootings, none of which were fatal in April. The city has six homicides so far this year.SPRINGFIELD – With the weather getting warmer, some Springfield residents are worried about the city’s crime rate heating up as a spate of shootings and stabbings kept police busy in April.
With eight shooting victims in 10 days, concerns are rising about a palpable uptick in violent crime -- including three double shootings since April 19.
"The weather is getting warmer and we're going to see a lot more of it if [police] don't put an end to it,” Springfield resident Maria Rodriguez told CBS3 news.
Springfield police are saturating problem areas with extra patrols, while Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni is again offering assistance from the state police if city police find themselves plagued with new homicide cases.
In March, Mastroianni announced that troopers assigned to his office would take over any new homicide investigations during the month of April to allow Springfield detectives to focus on a full plate of crime – including a half-dozen homicides from Jan. 26 to March 13, or roughly a murder a week for six weeks straight.
Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni has pledged further support for Springfield homicide detectives. For the month of April, state police investigators assigned to Mastroianni's office were poised to handle any new murder investigation, but the month ended with no homicides.Despite the recent gunplay -- including a brazen daytime shooting that injured two teenagers outside a State Street convenience store April 19 -- the month appears to be poised to end without any new murders. That said, Saturday night is typically busy for city police, and a new shooting was reported early Saturday morning, though no one appears to have been injured in the incident.
Sgt. John M. Delaney, aide to Springfield Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet, said the lack of homicides in April didn’t mean police weren’t busy.
“We still responded to other crimes being committed,” he told The Republican, referring to this month's noticeable spike in shootings and other violent crimes.
Police said trends clearly point to rising crime when the weather is warmer and the days are longer. With more people outside, the chance of street violence increases.
“Summer is really different from other seasons. There are more people out on the streets [and] crime seems to go up,” Delaney said.
Springfield Police Sgt. John M. Delaney said warmer weather tends to cause a spike in crime.In the coming days, the Springfield Police Department will maintain a more visible presence through the deployment of bicycle and walking patrols in an effort to prevent crime and assuage residents’ fears, particularly in high-crime neighborhoods.
Meanwhile, the two men who sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries in a State Street shooting around 10 p.m. Thursday continue to stymie investigators. The shooting occurred along the 500 block of State Street, police said.
“They’re not cooperating; nothing has changed,” Lt. John Slepchuk said early Saturday.
Police also continue to investigate an assault on a 30-year-old man found unconscious inside a car on Hancock Street in the Six Corners neighborhood around 10:45 a.m. Friday. Police said the man, who sustained multiple stab wounds to the abdomen and arms, was taken to Baystate Medical Center where he was listed in stable condition late Friday afternoon.
Other violent incidents in April include:
• April 5, a 22-year-old man is shot in the buttocks and elbow at St. James Avenue and Harvard St. in the McKnight neighborhood. The victim wasn’t seriously hurt, police said.
• April 6, police investigate a shooting at 2612 Main St. in the North End. The male victim suffered serious injuries to his midsection, police said.
• April 10, one person is shot and four are stabbed at a Liberty Street birthday bash.
• April 12, a 35-year-old man is shot and seriously injured during a robbery at his Judith Street home in East Forest Park.
• April 22, A 35-year-old city man was in serious but stable condition after being shot in the groin, hip and knee outside The Chessmen Lounge, a downtown bar at 459 Dwight St.
• April 23, A 27-year-old man who was shot in the leg told police he sustained the injury during a drive-by shooting incident near the William N. DeBerry Elementary School on Union Street in the Old Hill neighborhood.
• April 25 - Two women are shot, one critically, at 14 Ringold St. in the North End.
WATCH VIDEO reaction to Springfield's April crime wave: