County Commissioner Tavares Bostic made an impassioned plea with community members at the monthly meeting of the Board of Commissioners Tuesday night.
Gavin Stone | Daily Journal
ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office received a report Monday evening of shots fired in the Philadelphia Community in an apparent drive-by shooting, but has not been able to identify any suspects as of mid-day Wednesday.
No one was injured during the incident. The report came in at approximately 7:15 p.m. on July 5. At the scene, deputies found that cars and a home sustained damage from gunshots on Ellen Road, and cars were also hit in a driveway on Patterson Road.
Witnesses told deputies that the shots were being fired from a blue SUV riding through the area, but could not identify the occupants of the vehicle.
Anyone that may have seen the vehicle or has any information relevant to the shooting is asked to call 9-1-1, call the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office at 910-997-8283 or Richmond County Crime Stoppers at 910-997-5454.
County Commissioner Tavares Bostic made an impassioned plea with community members at the monthly meeting of the Board of Commissioners Tuesday night, calling on the public to talk to law enforcement about what happened so that they can better keep people safe. Without going into specifics, he attributed this outburst of violence to “certain establishments” in the area conducting illegal activity.
“There are certain establishments that breed this type of violence,” Bostic said. “I’m looking for the community to step forward and force some of these establishments out of our communities. For everyone in the Philly area, my hope is that you guys will stand together. Whatever I can do to help in this effort, I will.”
Bostic gave out his phone number at the meeting encouraging people to reach out to share their comments or concerns, and said he recognized that telling people to work with police would be unpopular coming from him because of the tension that has raged between the Black community and law enforcement over the last year. He also expressed concern about the older population and young children that live in the Philly area who could have been the victims in this crime.
“The violence absolutely has to stop,” Bostic said. “Now’s the time that we all stand together against anyone who comes into communities that’s looking to kill the people that look like us.”
He said he understands the “no snitching” mentality, but that this longstanding distrust between the Black community and law enforcement has stalled several investigations into shootings and other crimes. Bostic said he wants to see this culture change.
In an interview with the Daily Journal, he recommended that the individuals in the Philadelphia Community petition the Sheriff’s Office to address these “establishments” in their community, and continue to speak up to county leaders to make a difference in public safety.
“If you don’t tell us what needs to be targeted, we can’t do anything to stop it,” Bostic said.
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