DANVILLE, Va. – Early Sunday morning, a shooting occurred in the area of Carver Drive and Cheyenne Drive that left one person dead and four others injured.
“Normally, after an event like this or something happens like this, the first thing the citizens say is ‘Well where are the people? Where were the police officers, where was this?’,” Pastor of Truth and Worship Outreach Ministry, Sylvester Townes said.
Monday afternoon saw various members of the Danville community teaming up with personnel from the Danville Police Department to go door-to-door in the area where the shooting happened to reassure residents that, despite what happened, the community was there to support them and communicate what happened during their Community Heartwalk.
“This is our way of coming out to just see if they needed assistance or anybody to talk to and let them know that if there is anything of this sort of thing going on” Townes said. “[Also to] let them know that if there is anything of this sort going on or going on in the future, they can reach out to the police department so they can be a presence.”
Many residents of the area are elderly, with some living in the neighborhood for over 50 years. For them, it was their first time witnessing something like that.
“It’s a quiet neighborhood, and matter of fact, some of them say this was the first time that something like this has happened over the years, like this was the first time,” Townes said. “So you can imagine how they felt, they said it sounded like Vietnam the way things happened.”
Which is why Townes, his fellow citizens, and the Danville Police Department took up the torch of going to every door and making sure that their voices were heard and their presence was felt.
“That’s why this is so important,” Townes said. “To let everybody know that when stuff like this happens that someone is going to show up and you’re not going to go through this alone.”
