TOLEDO, Ohio — According to the Toledo Police Department, they're seeing an unusually high number of homes being struck by gunfire.
In 2020, from June 1 to July 14, there were 40 shootings into habitations. In 2019 within the same time frame, there were 13. That's an increase of 207%.
Lt. Kellie Lenhardt, a spokeperson for TPD, said that the increase in gun violence may be attributed to the heat as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. People being cooped up inside their homes has led to greater tensions between parties.
In some of the cases between June 1 to July 14, children were inside when shots were fired into the home.
Just this last weekend, an infant was home sleeping when a shooting incident occurred in the 1000 block of Kelsey Avenue in east Toledo. No injuries were reported and the investigation continues.
"Simply put, people who are discharging rounds in the city could not care less for human life and that's something the police are trying to stop," Lt. Lenhardt said.
According to Lt. Lenhardt, traffic stops are a good way to get guns off the street.
The department's ShotSpotter program, which detects outdoor gunfire and sends an alert to officers, has also been effective.
So far this year, they've booked 784 guns. By this time last year, they had booked 703.
Police are also working in conjunction with the Lucas County Prosecutor's Office to put criminals behind bars for a long time.
"As criminals are carrying illegal firearms throughout the city, be cognizant of the fact that when you pull that trigger, you could be taking the life of that child or a loved one inside that home," Lt. Lenhardt said.