Gun violence emergency declared in Rochester

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) – Rochester Mayor Malik Evans this morning declared a gun violence emergency in the City of Rochester.

This is in response to ongoing gun violence, particularly over the past several days. Chief David Smith, other city and community leaders, along with state and local law enforcement joined the mayor as he announced a three-pronged attack on the violence.

Evans says the violence is the result of petty disputes between groups, fueled by social media, domestic situations and the illicit drug trade. However, the mayor says drug-related crime pales in comparison to the other two categories.

Evans says the city will use prevention, intervention and suppression strategies to stop the violence.

"I don’t have a magic wand, let me be clear,” Evans said. “But what I do have — like a carpenter, I have various tools. I have hammers. I have screwdrivers. I have pliers and I’m going to use every conceivable tool until we start to see a reduction of violence in our community."

Evans says 41 people have been murdered in the city so far this year, which is one homicide less than this same time last year. At the same time he says 202 people have been shot, despite the 438 guns that have been confiscated.