BATON ROUGE– A shooting at Anna T. Jordan Park on Sept. 6 is the latest in a string of crimes at BREC parks within the last year.
One person was injured in the Sept.6 shooting after the gunman opened fire on a group of people during a fight.
Since August 2022, there have been at least five occasions where violent crimes have happened at BREC parks, two of which were deadly shootings.
August
In August, Baton Rouge Police investigated a fatal shooting at Monte Sano Park on the 2700 block of Monte Sano Ave. The man was found dead near a car with multiple gunshot wounds.
July
Baton Rouge Police arrested two men for their alleged involvement after a 34-year-old man was shot and dumped in a Brec Park, which led to a volunteer group finding his body.
BRPD arrested Gregory Williams, 45, and Christopher Smith, 23, in the shooting death of Christopher Holden.
Holden was shot and killed at a different location, and someone dumped his body at the Flannery Road Park.
June 15
An argument at a North Sherwood Forest Community Park basketball court led to a fatal shooting. Nicholas Brock, 29, was shot and died at the scene.
March 29
A deadly shooting occurred at a park in the 4100 block of Geronimo Street. The park is listed as Ken Warren Playground. It’s located in north Baton Rouge near Aliquippa Street and Mohican Street.
Troy Williams, 23, was shot multiple times. He died at the scene.
September 2022
A teenager was shot at the Evangeline Street park. The teen was found lying on the ground. He took at least one bullet to the chest and was transported to an area hospital.
August 2022
Dominick Moore, 21, who was accused of attempted rape at Forest Community Park on South Harrell’s Ferry Road, was arrested two weeks later.
The victim was treated at the hospital for her injuries.
BREC issues statement
BREC issued a statement regarding increased security measures across the park system.
Some steps that have been taken include requiring an ID to be presented before entering a recreation center. That policy has been in place since June 10, according to BREC.
The agency has also updated alarm systems and is adding more security measures, including panic buttons, automated doorbell cameras, and door-locking mechanisms across the parish.
A policy expanding the clear bag requirement currently in place at Liberty Lagoon went into effect on Sept. 8 for BREC stadiums. In addition, BREC administration recently purchased five license plate readers, which are being installed at key sites across the parish.
According to the news release, BREC launched an effort to place security cameras in parks in 2013. Since then, 1200 surveillance cameras have been installed at approximately 70 BREC facilities. Park rangers are now based in the largest and most active parks but still patrol the entire system periodically.
“While we aren’t immune to the plague of violence that has continued since the end of the pandemic in all large cities across the nation, we believe parks are an important solution to the problem as outdoor activity, out-of-school programs, and green spaces are essential to the physical and mental well-being of the communities they serve,” said BREC Superintendent Corey K. Wilson. “Crime is a community problem that can’t be solved by parks, schools, law enforcement, the judicial system, or community leaders alone. It will take all of us working together to ensure vital services are available and accessible to all citizens in the parish. The need for access to these essential services is critically important to those communities that have historically been denied such access.”
More from Unfiltered with Kiran
- https://unfilteredwithkiran.com/man-shot-and-killed-at-brec-park/
- https://unfilteredwithkiran.com/victim-identified-in-deadly-shooting-at-brec-park/
- https://unfilteredwithkiran.com/brpd-investigating-shooting-at-brec-park/
- https://unfilteredwithkiran.com/two-charged-after-man-killed-and-his-body-dumped-in-a-park/
- https://unfilteredwithkiran.com/brpd-arrests-man-accused-of-attempted-rape-in-public-park/
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Nobody wants to point out the location of those parks that have high incidences of violence and crime. There are MANY BREC parks that have no history of this type of activity…for example, in the drusilla area, the old goodwood area, the central/Greenwell springs area, etc.