Columbia – one month after city press conference addressing local crime

In the last six weeks there have been seven shootings.

There have been two people killed, multiple people injured, and many Columbia residents questioning their safety.

City leaders stood before the community vowing to make a change to keep Columbia’s streets safer, but also admit it could take a while.

“They are subjecting us, the city and our families to that same violence. I’m ready for it to stop,” these were police Chief’s Burton’s words a month ago at a city leader’s press conference focused on recent crime.

But people continue to fire shots all over Columbia.

“All these bad guys in these shootings have been found and arrested or been directed to the prosecutor,” said city manager Mike Matthes.

One month ago, Matthes says Columbia police had a 100 percent rating of catching the bad guy.

Today he stated all shootings have been solved but that’s not exactly the case.

On July 7– 19 days ago – someone fired shots in a rolling gun battle down Providence Boulevard near I-70.

Someone was taken into custody, but he was charged for a different crime.

None have been charged for the shooting.

On July 14 -12 days ago- a 17-year-old was shot and killed in McKee Park.

We checked with police again tonight, still no arrests.

As police chief Burton said in the original press conference, “we are part of the answer but far from the total solution.”

Burton suggested a youth curfew a month ago, but council backed away from the idea for a youth anti-violence task force.

The mayor told us two weeks ago the task force could take a year to implement.

Today, Matthes also spoke out against the Boone County sheriff’s claims crime is up in Columbia, saying he’s wrong, but sheriff Dwayne Carey told ABC 17 news tonight he stands by his comments police aren’t being proactive enough.