YOUNGSTOWN - According to Youngstown's Police Chief, Robin Lees, the department has logged 23 murders so far in 2020.


The city had a total of 20 homicides in 2019.

Chief Lees said they plan to put additional officers out on patrol, be more proactive with their policing, intercept individuals before they commit a crime and focus on getting guns off the street.

Youngstown City Councilman, Julius Oliver said a plan now is "reactive".

"Coming up with a plan now, you should have come up with a plan last winter coming into the summer," said Oliver. "Because you know what happens when it gets hot. There should have already been a plan."

Chief Lees said about a dozen shooting incidences that happened over the weekend, but no one was injured.

But gunfire like this, in the case of a 13-year-old girl shot in the thigh this week on the city's Southside, can hit anyone.

Councilman Oliver wants to improve communication with the Mayor and Police Chief so the council members can help those affected in their wards.

"So if the mayor would have come to me after this 13-year-old girl got shot, like 'Hey councilman, what do you think we need to do to curb crime in Youngstown?' I definitely could have laid out a plan right along with him to take to our police chief to take to our community as a whole to take to the parents to bring things to a head."

The police chief said the 13-year-old was with a group of people and the shooter was targeting someone in the group.

So far, no arrests have been made.