HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. (WTVF) — It was a brazen shooting at a busy playground on Monday that sent kids running in all directions. Hopkinsville police are still looking for one of the gunmen.
A second person involved in the shooting at Second Street Park was seen on surveillance video pointing a gun in the direction of several kids who were running away. Police say that person tried to squeeze the trigger on his gun, but it failed to fire.
The shooting prompted Hopkinsville's Police Chief Clayton Sumner to write an impassioned post on Facebook, which has been shared more than 1,500 times -- saying in part: "The innocent babies you see in these photos running for their lives didn’t ask to be in the middle of this! They deserve a safe place to play! They deserve to have adults in this community stand up and say 'enough is enough!'"
Police made two juvenile arrests, but even after interviewing witnesses, they've not been able to identify the actual shooter off camera.
Hopkinsville police said this shooting - while shocking in and of itself - highlights a bigger problem in the community: witnesses afraid to come forward with information.
"There’s got to be a time when we say we are no longer afraid to go out and say this guy did it," said Hopkinsville Police Officer Mike Atkins. "There has to be a time when we have to consider our kids, the ones who are out there playing, they shouldn’t have to go to the park in fear."
Police say they can't be everywhere all the time, so they need everyone to pitch in, with information where they can to help keep the community safe.
If you have any information about the Second Street Park shooting in Hopkinsville Monday around 6 p.m., you can call Hopkinsville Police Crimestoppers at 270-887-TIPS. You can remain anonymous.
