Mayor Marty spoke out against gun violence Monday night, releasing a statement expressing his extreme distaste for the amount of gun-related injuries and fatalities that have occurred in 2014 thus far. One of Mayor Walsh‘s cornerstone campaign goals was to bolster public safety significantly, and he now plans to ramp up all efforts to the best of his abilities.

In speaking with newly appointed Boston Police Commissioner Bill Evans and Superintendent of the Bureau of Investigative Services Bobby Merner, Mayor Walsh and his constituents addressed the following areas most in need of attention:

• This time last year, Boston had seen 15 shootings and 2 gun fatalities. Since January 1st of this year, we have seen 13 shootings and 8 gun fatalities.
• The last four shootings are likely related, and are a combination of gang violence and retaliation. It is the understanding of the Boston Police Department that there were prior relationships between the victims and the suspects.
• There was also another nonfatal shooting today in Jamaica Plain, and thanks to the efforts of Boston Police and the community, a suspect is now in custody.

Though the Mayor acknowledges that there is no single solution to ridding our streets of guns, gangs and violence, he has pledged to work with all applicable authorities to diminish the amount of such.

“In the coming days, I will be convening several groups to discuss actions we can take in several of the areas that I discussed with Commissioner Evans and his Command Staff,” stated the Mayor in a statement. “We will work with all levels of government, law enforcement, and the community to reduce the trauma in our neighborhoods, get guns off the street, and address the underlying causes of violence.”

Though the Mayor has yet to specify the steps he, Commissioner Evans, Superintendent Merner and other plans to take, it’s likely that Mayor Walsh will be able to use his neighborhood prowess coupled with his deep community roots to rally a street-level effort in community policing and supplying the authorities with tips and items to help them get put an end to violent crime.