Clarksdale Mayor Chuck Espy is studying trends in other cities throughout Mississippi and the nation to help lower crime locally. Espy talked about the big picture when it comes to crime at last Thursday’s Board of Mayor and Commissioners vetting meeting in response to some of the recent shootings in Clarksdale. The most recent murder came last Wednesday, just several hours prior to the meeting.
According to a press release from the Clarksdale Police Department, 23-year-old Jeremiah Snow was fatally shot outside a residence on the 700 block of Garfield Street at around 2:15 a.m. on June 8. There is no current suspect or motive for the shooting, but the police department is following up on leads and asks anyone with information to contact the investigative division at (662) 621-8152.
The CPD responded to shots fired on the 600 block of Garfield Street at 8:36 p.m. on June 8. The police department reported that a male was shot in the head but still alive. The report also stated that the individual shot was inside a vehicle traveling south on the 600 block of Ritchie Street. Another individual was in the vehicle, not shot, and able to get the victim to the hospital.
The CPD also reported shots fired on the 1100 block of Briarwood Cove and 400 block of Garfield Street between June 9 and 12. The Clarksdale Police Department has not determined if last week’s shootings were connected.
Since there have been several recent shootings in Clarksdale, Espy provided his thoughts on the big picture as well as steps the city is taking to lower crime. Espy opened by saying the city has vetting meetings at noon on the Thursday prior to the regular meeting to provide more opportunities for discussion. “It really has gone well,” he said. “This has never happened in Clarksdale’s history to have vetting. Some people make light of it, but it absolutely works.”
In the past, Espy said there has been “chaos” and “shenanigans” during the regular meeting on Monday, but that has not happened since the current board took office in 2017. “It’s not to say we’re going to agree on everything, but having more information is very vital to a lot of people,” he said. “Some people may not talk about transparency, but this administration has been more transparent than any other administration in the City of Clarksdale’s history.”
Espy then segued into specific issues involving the recent uptick in crime. “Some people will stick their head in the sand and only dream that it’s only about Clarksdale,” he said. Espy said the city is part of national and state associations, and that allows him to see trends. “On a national scale, as mayor, if I do not know about trends in the nation and if I don’t know about trends in the state, surely I cannot be a highly qualified mayor to speak about what should we be doing about crime with the police chief (Robbie Linley),” he said.
Espy said there have been issues in Greenwood, Greenville, Indianola, Vicksburg, the Gulf Coast, and two people were killed when there were multiple shootings at a graduation in Virginia. He expressed disagreement toward others who did not feel he should be looking at trendlines. “I think that those people are very narrow-minded,” he said. “They want to believe that it doesn’t matter what happens in other cities.”
Espy said he is doing his part to help other communities and will be participating in a Greenwood town hall meeting about crime. He added that he seeks guidance from the MBI, FBI, and other organizations in an effort to save lives. “We are all in a partnership to save lives,” he said. “We are all in it together.”
Espy said having sky cops in Clarksdale also lowers crime. He encouraged people who think reading has no value to look at statistics about sky cops. “People still snicker at our sky cops,” he said. “Without getting into a lot of information, they work.”
Other recent shootings that have occurred in Clarksdale came in the later part of May. Retired CPD officer Andrew Bankhead fatally shot Cornelius “CJ” McGee Jr., 15, on the 1200 block of West Second Street at around 5 p.m. on May 22. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating the matter.
Fourteen victims were shot in three areas of town on May 21, just one day before McGee was fatally shot. None of the shootings on May 21 were fatal, and the CPD has not determined if they were connected.
Multiple shots were fired, hitting 12 victims on the 300 block of Delta Avenue at around 2:45 a.m. on May 21, and it was believed to be gang-related. Another victim was shot on West Second Street shortly after the incident on Delta Avenue. A third shooting occurred on Friars Point Road near Florida Avenue during the early hours of May 21.
