A Clark County Church has organized a walk on Saturday morning in order to raise community awareness concerning the recent rise of violent crime in Springfield. Police Chief Stephen Moody said there have been five shootings in the city since the end of May.
The Restored Life Ministries Church has been holding an event focused on domestic violence for the past three years, but with the recent uptick in gun violence, the church group is expanding the scope of this year's walk to include all acts of violence.
President of the Springfield NAACP, Denise Williams, believes the walk will help bring more attention to the rise in gun violence in Springfield.
"The community is coming together," Williams said. "Everybody is doing something, so I have to say that this is going to help, absolutely will help,"
There will also be a stop the violence program at the church following the walk. Organizers say they want to aim the message directly at the youth of the community.