WASHINGTON — A violent 24 hours in D.C. saw six shootings with seven victims. Two of them were killed. Another man was stabbed.
"We're trending in the wrong direction and we need to figure out what's going on," said Larry Calhoun. He sees first hand what the crime stats show.
For the past two years, he's chased down countless crime scenes running the popular Twitter account DC RealTime News @RealTimeNews10.
"I'm very passionate about informing the public of what is going on in their community," Calhoun said Wednesday.
He says what the community is telling him is that they are worried about crime.
"It's a lot of randomness now and unpredictable crime," he said. "That's what's scary for the community. When they do talk to me, they say, 'I barely want to pump my gas.'"
The D.C. native and gun violence survivor says he remembers the drug-fueled crime of the '80s and '90s. Today, he says it's a lack of accountability that's to blame - an opinion he knows isn't popular with everyone.
"I got every right to talk about it because I love my community," said Calhoun.
"We got to start having some accountability going on in our community. We know somebody in our lives that is going down the wrong path. It's a brother, it's a cousin, it's a friend. So, when are we going to stand up and save them from themselves? Pull them to the side and say, 'Hey, I see what you doing, but I know that potentially you could be doing something else,'" he said. "I want old ladies to be able to walk outside. I want our kids to be able to play outside."
Which is something Calhoun says people didn't worry as much about when he was growing up. Another challenge today, he says any "code" of the street has changed.
A decade ago he says even the known criminals protected older folks, women, and children. None of those unwritten rules apply now, Calhoun said.
Police have made no arrests in the eight crimes reported Wednesday. Anyone with information about any of those crimes should contact police at 202-727-9099 or text the department's tip line at 50411.