Pontiac forming gun violence advisory committee, exploring options to reduce gun crime | Local News

The city of Pontiac is seeking to explore in the coming weeks new ways to reduce gun crimes following two high-profile shootings.

A quadruple shooting on Aug. 26 at the Spring Lake Village apartment complex left three men dead and one seriously injured. A 32-year-old man has since turned himself in and was arraigned in the 50th District Court last week. Four days later three children, including a 10-month-old baby, were hit by gunfire during a drive-by shooting on a Pontiac home.

The mayor’s office has since announced the creation of an advisory commission to study and present a collaborative plan to decrease the amount of illegal guns and gun violence in the city.

It’s so far set to include representatives from Pontiac Universal Crimes, Moms Demand Action, Chance for Life, the sheriff’s relation team, Lighthouse, neighborhood groups and the city’s public safety committee.

“There are things we can and will do in the city to curb this gun violence,” Deirdre Waterman, mayor of Pontiac, said. “The drive-by in which three children were shot is regrettable. This is foul. It’s something we need to address on an emergency basis.”

Pontiac City Council is also planning to discuss further steps on Tuesday, Sept. 7.At the most recent meeting Kermit Williams, president of the council and cousin to one of the victims of the Aug. 26 shooting, floated the idea of a citywide curfew as one possible option, which was quickly dismissed by several members council. A curfew for minors already exists in the city’s ordinances.

Council member Gloria Miller, District 5, said she’s hoping to engage residents where they live to help find the root cause of the city’s unrest. Megan Shramski, council representative for District 2, said she believes the city should start a youth focus group.

Council members Mary Pietila, District 3, and Randy Carter, District 4, each had separate thoughts about working with property owners and management companies of the city’s large apartment complexes. Pietila said she believes the city needs to work closer with landlords to keep crime statistics down while Carter stated he believes more evictions need to take place in households holding more adults than the lease allows.

A total of 14 homicides have been reported in Oakland County so far this year, eight of which took place in Pontiac. A fatal hit and run also took place in the city this year but was not charged as a homicide. Last year, nine of the county’s 20 homicides took place in Pontiac, down from 2018 when the city saw 14 of the county’s 29 reported homicides.