By Angeles Ponpa
PEORIA, Ill. (25 News) – Community leaders are advising parents and guardians to keep their kids busy and stay involved in their lives after a series of shootings, one of them deadly, in Peoria parks.
17-year-old Jarvis Allison, Jr. died Sunday night from a head wound after a shooting at Bradley Park. Two other teens were injured earlier Sunday night from a shooting at Stadium Park, and a house was struck by gunfire on Mountello Drive.
The shootings concerned city leaders as they offered tips to ensure a safe summer.
Carl Cannon, the leader of ELITE Community Outreach, serves at-risk members of the community through a variety of programs. He told 25 News that Sunday’s events are a tragedy with no excuse.
Cannon told parents to keep an eye on their kids, get to know their friends, but also keep them busy in and out of school. He highlighted programs from the city, the park district, and his own ELITE program, calling them essential.
“Our youth don’t have a healthy occupation of time,” Cannon said. “As jobs are going away, they are going away for youth as well. As a healthy occupation of time, we have to give them something healthy to do. Now school is something healthy to do, but unfortunately a lot of our youth are not utilizing school as they should be, which is why I am in my business.”
A series of shootings at parks in Peoria on Sunday between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. left one teen dead and two others injured.
Allison, Jr. died late Sunday night at OSF HealthCare St. Francis Medical Center after he was shot in the head about 7:15 p.m. at Bradley Park.
About 5:30 p.m. at Stadium Park, officers found two teenage boys, ages 16 and 17. One of the boys had a gunshot wound to the chest and the other on his upper arm.
“You need to know where they are, you need to know who they are with, and you need to know when to pull them in. There was a time when parents said, when the lights come on at night, they need to come in,” Cannon said.
Dr. Bernice Gordon-Young, a Peoria County Jail psychotherapist and at-large Peoria City Council member, reiterated Cannon’s thoughts.
Gordon-Young expressed sadness and concern, and she called on parents and guardians to keep an eye on their kids’ mental health.
She said trauma is a common factor among young people.
“If they are not eating, their behavior is different, they are aggressive, they are easily irritated. Those are subtle changes but sometimes those within themselves can be indicators that can manifest into something more serious,” Gordon-Young said.
She emphasized the goal is not to shift blame, but to work together as a community to help youth.
“It’s important that we have mental health services in place. We have a resource rich community here that’s full of those resources,” Gordon-Young said.
Gordon-Young said it’s essential to recognize emotional and behavioral changes, and understand what opportunities are available to help people.
Meantime, Peoria Park District officials said they’re working with Peoria Police to investigate the shootings. However, the parks are open for the public.
Police did not provide an update on the search for the shooters on Monday.
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