It’s Been A Very Violent Week In Lufkin As Shootings Spike
The daily gun violence in other cities that we used to read about has finally made its way to Deep East Texas. There have been three major incidents of gun violence in Lufkin in the past seven days.
Shooting At Quality Inn
Yesterday, November 16th at 9:45 pm LPD officers were called to Quality Inn and Suites at 4306 South First Street to respond to shots fired in the parking lot.
When officers arrived both of the involved parties were still on the scene. One man was shot in the pelvis following a verbal disturbance with another man.
He was flown to an out-of-town hospital with a broken leg, and the shooter was taken into custody.
Home Invasion In Lufkin
There was a home invasion yesterday, November 16th, 2021 at 10:30 pm when officers were called to a home in the 800 block of Groesbeck Street to report a disturbance involving a long gun.
A woman reported that an armed man forced his way into her home and barricaded himself in her attic. The LPD SWAT team was called out and got him out of the home three hours later thankfully without further incident.
Shooting At Winston Park
On Thursday, November 11th, 2021 officers were called to a report of shots fired at Winston Park in the 400 block of Jack Street in Lufkin. Witnesses reported hearing three shots and seeing a white Dodge Challenger and a silver Buick sedan speeding away from the park around 6 pm.
Officers responded to the area and recovered three shell casings in the area. They were then notified that a shooting victim had just arrived at a local hospital in a white Challenger.
The victim was 19-year-old Adam Herrera of Lufkin that suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his arm. This incident is still under investigation, and anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 936-639-TIPS. They also have an app to anonymously help.
What Can We Do?
This gun violence is not just happening in our small town. It's happening in small towns all over America.
One good idea I saw was from the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department. They just recently established a Juvenile Crimes Task Force to counter this trend.
As of yesterday they had made 49 arrests, and issued 21 citations, and removed 9 firearms from the streets. Youth crime is like many issues that can't be resolved by law enforcement alone.
Hopefully this will not continue to get worse, and Lufkin will still be a safe place to live, work, and raise a family.