WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Winston-Salem Police are investigating after six shootings over the last 60 hours.
Nine people were shot in all, including a 12-year-old girl who died of her injuries.
The child was shot at Weston Park Sunday afternoon. A 24-year-old man was also wounded.
Just a couple of miles away, a shooting caused a car to crash into a house. Four people were inside the car. A 17-year-old and a 20-year-old woman were among those injured, though they are expected to recover.
A three-month-old baby in the car was unharmed.
A 15-year-old, an 18-year-old and another juvenile are among those injured in other shootings over the weekend.
Assistant City Manager Patrice Toney said it's disheartening to see this many shootings so early in the new year.
"Even one shooting or death is troubling to us as a city," Toney said. "Our numbers last year were reduced in terms of gun violence and homicides. While we celebrate that, we still have so much work to do in terms of crime prevention."
When it comes to youth violence prevention the city has several programs already in place.
It has a Youth Violence Prevention Coordinator that oversees programs designed to keep kids off the street when they're out of school.
The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office said it's seen success with its Juvenile Intervention & Investigation Team that launched last year.
Toney also hopes a new police chief will bring change along with some non-law enforcement solutions the city is working on.
"We need some innovation, we need some strategy. More officers and more guns are not a solution to crime prevention. We are really excited about what's going forward with the resources and a new police chief," Toney said.
One of the new programs is called Cure Violence, where volunteers build relationships in neighborhoods with high crime rates. Greensboro has a similar program it said has been successful in recent years.
Another program is coming to the city with the help of a $500,000 grant from the state. It will work with gunshot victims who come into the emergency room at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist. The hope is to stop the cycle of violence.
"Many times victims of gunshot wounds may retaliate or go back into these communities and this is a great outreach opportunity," Toney said.
Both of those programs are slated to begin in the spring. As for the shootings, police have yet to arrest a suspect in any of the crimes.