Mayor, police chief meet with SW Houston residents to discuss uptick in crime

HOUSTON – Mayor Sylvester Turner, Police Chief Art Acevedo and Mayor Pro Tem Ellen Cohen hosted a public safety community meeting for Meyerland residents Monday.

It happened at the Kaplan Theater inside the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center.

The meeting was a response to the recent deadly shooting of 10-month-old Messiah Marshall. He was in his father's arms when he was shot and killed at an apartment complex along North Braeswood Boulevard and Chimney Rock Road.

Residents said they were scared to walk their streets and take their children to the park.

They said something should have been done about the increase in crime long before the murder of Messiah.

Turner acknowledged a need for more police in the street, but said he was limited by the city's revenue cap.

"We have roughly 5,200 officers policing 640 square miles. That is asking a lot of them," Turner said.

In May, a 1-year-old was wounded by a stray bullet that struck him in the legs as he rode in his car seat in the back of his mother's vehicle.

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said his department is taking a proactive approach to crime in the area and promised more communication.

"The way we overcome limited resources (is we) work with community, the greatest force multiplier," Acevedo said.

Residents are seeking solutions to the series of violent crimes in the area.

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