GRETNA, Fla. (WTXL) — Gun violence has left the quiet town of Gretna shaken after a weekend shooting that killed one person and injured four others — marking the second homicide in just two weeks.
- Police say the shooting happened during a funeral repass where nearly 300 people had gathered to honor another homicide victim.
- The Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office chaplain says the rise in gun violence has deeply affected families and faith leaders across the county.
- Watch the video below to hear from community members and law enforcement about how Gretna is coping with back-to-back tragedies.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Gun violence has left the quiet town of Gretna shaken after a shooting this weekend. I’m Tatyana Purifoy, your Gretna neighborhood reporter, and residents are left searching for answers after back-to-back tragedies that many say are unlike anything they’ve ever seen here.
The Gretna police chief says this marks the second homicide in the last two weeks — something rarely seen in this small, quiet town.
Residents tell me they’re shaken. One neighbor — who didn’t want to go on camera — says their family is already in the process of moving out of Gretna, and the recent violence makes them want to leave even sooner.
The chaplain has been with the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office for two decades. He says the rise in gun violence has deeply affected families and faith leaders across the county.
Jimmy Salters, the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office chaplain, said, “When people know you care, or the young people know we care, we want them to enjoy the football games, the basketball games… enjoy the community, not destroy it. Share the good news of conversation, care for one another — I really think that’s what it’s going to take.”
He says that neighbors need to get out in the community and connect with one another before tragedy happens like this — not after the fact.
Police say the event was meant to honor the life of another homicide victim from just two weeks earlier.
Brian Alexander, the chief of the Gretna Police Department, said, “There was an officer that was working a traffic crash on the actual corner of Main Street and Beech Street when the shots rang out. He heard all the shots. According to him, it was easily 100 shots that went off.”
This shooting adds to a growing list of deadly incidents in Gadsden County — including a double homicide at a gas station in Quincy back in February and the shooting of Ethan Pritchard in Havana on August 31.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is now leading the investigation with assistance from the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office and Gretna PD.
Law enforcement leaders say they need help from the community. If you know anything about these recent shootings, contact Gretna police or Big Bend Crime Solvers at the number on your screen.
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