Peace walk planned for Salisbury following mass shooting

SALISBURY, Md. – Religious leaders, local representatives, and members of law enforcement are planning a prayer vigil and peace walk through the Salisbury neighborhood that saw 6 people injured and a 14-year-old killed by gunfire on July 5th.

Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis tells us the case is progressing quickly, to bring those responsible to justice.

“I’m very confident that we have some of our shooters in custody who have not been charged with the actual shooting yet, but they’ve been charged with other crimes, such as put possession with intent to distribute drugs and large amounts of drugs and bulk U.S. currency, but I can tell you that this community is hurting right now,” he said.

He tells us healing that hurt is the goal of the event, by letting the community know that they are being supported and connecting those who need help with the resources to move forward.

“We have connected with law enforcement, the mental health community, in addition to the ministers and citizens and civic leaders of wanting to show forth number one, the unity, but secondly, making sure our seniors and our children of the community know that there’s hope and then there’s hope and prayer,” said Speaker Pro Tempore Sheree Sample-Hughes, one of the many speakers planned for the event.

“We are going to go door to door on Sunday evening, directly after the prayer visible, and really be on the steps and in the streets of the people who were affected,” she said.

She tells us she wants the community to know now, and moving forward, they will have her full support.

“It means having a conversation with trained, skilled professionals to be at the ready, whether it’s school counselors or whether it’s our health department and crisis centers, that will come directly to your homes, that is going to be a benefit to the families and to the children,” she said.

She tells us in her role as an elected official she also wants to see action taken to help prevent violence from taking place, an action she says in recent events across the state have been committed by juveniles.

“We have seen curfew implemented in other places, that is worth looking into, I firmly believe that it’s necessary for us as the legislature, to sit down with the juvenile justice entity and really look at what is occurring in our communities,” she said adding “juveniles, unfortunately, are at the forefront a lot of the crime and so if we don’t tweak our laws to adjust that, to allow law enforcement and our counselors to be able to be at the table with them, then we’re not going to get anywhere.”

The event is set to begin Wesley Temple United Methodist church at 6 pm and run until 8 pm.

Sheriff Lewis tells 47ABC there will be a police presence at the event with the goal of ensuring safety.