COLUMBUS, Ohio (WTVN)--Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther was flanked by other city and civic leaders Monday to express his frustration with the recent spike in gun violence in the city, which left a 15-year-old boy among the dead.
Ginther placed blame on the violence to illegal guns, and the lack of stronger gun laws. He called on state lawmakers to pass stricter laws, including universal background checks, to prevent firearms from ending up in the wrong hands.
There were eight different shootings over the weekend in Columbus, which left ten people injured, and eight people dead. A 15-year-old boy was among those killed.
Stephanie Hightower, president of the Columbus Urban League blamed decades of systemic racism and economic disparities. She said that has led to “a perfect storm” of anger, frustration, and now violence.
Ginther said there’s no connection between the violence and the Black Lives Matter movement, recent protests, or a perception of a “hands-off” attitude by police.
As of Monday, Columbus has 67 homicides so far in 2020, which is slightly ahead of last year's pace.