As violence continues, Wilmington mayor seeks change

WILMINGTON (WPVI) -- Sirens have become an anthem on Wilmington's streets.

A double shooting Tuesday night at 215 North Market was the city's latest address for gun violence.

One resident who didn't want to show his face spoke to Action News Tuesday night.

"I've seen a bunch of sirens and all of the cops ran into the building," the resident said.

Over the last 24 days, city residents have dealt with almost two dozen shootings, eight of them fatal.

"There seems to be some toxic mix that has people feeling they can go out and settle their grievances with a firearm," Mayor Mike Purzycki said.

Mayor Purzycki is now beefing up police manpower with help from the feds, state and local agencies to curb crime, until the department graduates about 20 more officers.

Last week, the new mayor signed off on loosening overtime to deploy more cops to known hot spots in the city.

"I'm not just going to sit around and wait to see how bad it gets before I do something," Purzycki said.

Like many residents, Derrick Chambers with Cease Violence hopes to see a change soon.

"It's really bad. I think this is the worst beginning of the year we've had in years," Chambers said.

Police say they need residents to step up and come forward about information on all these crimes.