Uncle of Philadelphia homicide victim meets with city leaders to share ideas to stem gun violence
PHILADELPHIA - Hours after family and friends gathered to celebrate the life of a Philadelphia homicide victim, the teen's uncle met with city leaders to share possible solutions to the rampant gun violence.
Authorities say 18-year-old Lameer Boyd was gunned down near the intersection of 52nd and Larchwood street around 10 p.m. on July 19th. Jamahal Boyd Sr. said his nephew was hit over 30 times, including at least 17 times in the head.
The brutal shooting death of Lameer marked the 300th homicide this year in Philadelphia. Addressing the grim milestone, Mayor Jim Kenney created some controversy when he admitted that he hasn't met with the families of any homicide victims.
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"As a campaign tactic I’m sure knocking on 300 doors you had the capacity to do that," Boyd Sr. said. "So, how do we leverage that opportunity and not make it a negative thing but turn it into a way to reengage the trust of the community."
Boyd Sr. said he hopes to meet with Mayor Kenney in the future to share his ideas on ways to stem gun violence in the city. He is advocating for a neighborhood campaign to leave lights on at night and a partnership that could get a camera at every home for safety.
Boyd Sr. believes his most important strategy focuses on educating families on the resources that are available to them.
"We can’t blame the city for what they are or aren’t doing if we’re not doing what we need to do at home," Boyd Sr. told FOX 29's Kelly Rule. "What faith, what hope, what protection is in place for people trying to do the right thing on the right path."
The push to make changes to the gun violence epidemic in Philadelphia isn't new to the Boyd's. In fact, Lameer himself was part of a gun violence prevention group, and the Institute for the Development of African-American Youth Incorporated said Lameer graduated their gun violence prevention program.
Lameer, an expecting father, was scheduled to start and "Young Fathers United" program the day after he was shot.
"When you see certain things happen to certain youth that you work with - I don’t want to say it’s like a failure - did I do enough is there something else I could’ve done?" Adrienne Taylor, a Case Manager said.
The latest data from the Philadelphia Police Department shows there have been 308 homicides in Philadelphia so far this year. The continued carnage follows a historically bloody 2021 during which more than 560 people were killed.