Austin community reacts to recent shootings

(ABC 6 News) – The City of Austin is still reeling from two straight weekends with shootings.

The most recent was a drive-by-shooting late last Friday night leading to the death of 25-year-old Gumdel Nygare Gilo, of Austin.

The uptick in crime and shootings isn’t a new occurrence for the city. It has been growing over the last several years. Doctor David Strobel has lived in Austin for 53 and has spent 18 of those years as the Mower County coroner.

He says the amount of shootings have been building up over this years even after his retirement.

“During my tenure as coroner, we had probably about three or four cases that were of this type of nature and that was over nearly a 20 year period of time,” said Strobel. “So, the fact that now we’re seeing an increase, we’re seeing a clump of these right now, but it’s actually been increasing over the last several years.”

The two targeted shootings have left the community in pain and people are concerned on how things will play out as the summer begins.

ABC 6 News spoke with Austin police and they clarified these shootings are not connected, nor do they believe there is a continuing threat to the public as they were targeted.

The increase of these shootings are still a concern and Strobel believes it is because of greater issues happening beyond Austin.

“The fact that, that is happening, I think is reflective of just the general anger that’s occurring in society, all over America, in fact, all over the world. And we may have been somewhat sheltered here in Austin but I don’t think we’re protected completely from this,” said Strobel.

While the shootings are a concern, so is helping to heal those directly impacted from them with their grief.

“I think what’s really important right now is that we focus on the healing and the rebuilding of these families and the stages of grief that people are going to go through,” said Lisa Deyo, owner of Sweet Reads in downtown Austin.

Denroy Jeffers, the suspect in the June 3 shootings, is due in court Thursday, June 15, and is facing three charges, including second-degree murder with intent.

Manamany Abella and Cham Oman, are facing five charges in relation to the murder of Nygare Gilo last Friday.