KILLEEN, Texas — Just four minutes into Monday morning, officers reported to the 1200 block of Goodhue Drive after a 911 caller said shots were fired. They found Kevin Anton Davis, who had been shot. Davis died over an hour afterward.
Davis was the thirteenth homicide victim in Killeen so far this year, the son of former Judge Claudia Brown didn't follow the trend of earlier shootings because of his age.
The trend is uncanny. On March 29, a 20-year-old woman was shot on Hereford Lane. Police later reported the suspects as De’Jauna Monte Williams,18, and Cedric Vernon Henderson Jr., 19.
On March 23, officers reported to the 3700 block of Dustin Court to find a 22-year-old man shot. The suspect was Jovino Jamel Roy, age 22.
On March 16, a 22-year-old man was pronounced dead on Lake Road, and on March 14, police arrived at the Summerlyn Apartments to find, "Two males and one female in their early twenties," according to a KPD press release.
The list continues. At least eight of the previous victims, and many of the suspects, have all been between the ages of 19 and 25.
Teach Them To Love Outreach Life Center Director Lolita Gilmore said that the trend of young adults killing each other started back in 2019 and it won't end until the whole community gets involved.
"At the end of the year (2019), the last one being a 19-year-old, this is where we began to say, 'Wait a minute, this is hitting really close to home. What are we going to do about it,'" Gilmore said. "The vast majority of the cases we are dealing with are in the young adult group. We are talking about from 17 to 25."
Gilmore said the same issue is happening in 2020.
"This is an established pattern. Nothing has changed," Gilmore said. "We see this age group."
Gilmore said there are several factors that lead to young adults getting in trouble. One issue was the lack of a family unit for young adults, where single mothers and fathers struggle to work and raise kids at the same time.
"You have a lot of working parents. You have a lot of parents working outside the city area. You have single-family homes and they have to work two or three jobs," Gilmore said. "Not having the home secure, kids are going to be out from nine to two or three in the morning."
Another factor, Gilmore said, is the lack of opportunity for young adults in the Killeen area when it comes to finding a job or getting further education. If those paths aren't available, Gilmore said they can easily start down the wrong path.
"It's an age group where you start to see a lot of gang activity," Gilmore said. "It's that sense of belonging, especially if you have at-risk youth, child abuse (and) child neglect."
Gilmore said the only answer to the issue is to have a coordinated community response to provide better jobs, mentoring opportunities, and age-appropriate programs for youth 17-21 to keep them engaged so that segment of the youth does not fall behind.
"We have a group of individuals that we have neglected to equip with the proper tools that they need," Gilmore said.
Under such circumstances, Gilmore said there is not much police can do to prevent young adults from getting into trouble when talking about patrol coverage alone, though police can be part of a community solution.
Gilmore is working to present several options to the Killeen City Council later in May.
6 News reached out to the Killeen Police Department about the rise in homicides Tuesday and had requested an interview on the subject previously several times. 6 News has not heard back.
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