SARASOTA, Fla. — As many shared gifts with loved ones on Valentine's Day Monday, a balloon with the words "I love you" instead decorated a memorial on the side of Palmedelia Avenue in Sarasota.
That's where 17-year-old Marcus Pate Jr was killed on Feb. 6. Two other children, including an 8-year-old who was with Pate, were injured in the incident.
"Shock, horror, children on bicycles, children period, they should not have been a part of that. That should never have happened," said Carolyn Mason, a community activist.
Police charged two 16-year-olds, Thamar Liafortune and Sha'miya Williams, in the incident. The shooting is the fourth homicide of the year, according to Sarasota police records. That is the same number as all the homicides recorded for the whole year of 2021.
While there were 53 shots fired cases in Sarasota in 2021, so far in the first six weeks of 2022 alone, there have been 11 shots fired cases. This rise in gun violence has raised concern in the community.
Community activists say they're glad arrests were made promptly but they want to prevent future killings from occurring in the community.
"Why are we resorting to violence as a way of dispelling disagreements. I think that is the bigger question for all of us in the community," Mason said. "It is concerning to the police, it is concerning to the community and it is concerning to the families of the victims."
"What seems to be a problem is this fascination with guns and how readily available guns are," Mason said.
Sarasota police recently collected dozens of unwanted firearms and ammunition at its "Done With The Gun" event regardless of how they were obtained.
Along with reactivating some crime reduction and crime prevention programs, leaders of the police department have said the community should expect more police officers to be on patrol on the streets, saturating neighborhoods and interacting with community members in areas where there has been a recent uptick in gun violence and criminal activity.
"Having four homicides since the beginning of the year is something that is extremely abnormal for our city. But, none of them are connected at this time that we are able to tell. They are all independent incidents that have happened," said Genevieve Judge, spokesperson for the Sarasota Police Department.
"We really rely on our partnership policing in our community. Policing is our philosophy, and a lot of times, folks will come forward and give us information and let us know what's going on and so we're hoping that's going to continue," Judge said.
Community leaders say that partnership, along with teaching better conflict resolution, will help reduce gun violence and keep communities safe.
"We just have to promote responsibility and preach responsibility where these things are concerned but more importantly we have to cultivate the hearts of our youth," said Kyle Battie, vice mayor for the city.
"It's not just the job of law enforcement but as residents, we have a responsibility," said Mason.