As of Aug. 6, the city of Boston, Massachusetts, has had eight homicides this year. Springfield, Illinois, has had seven, as of Aug. 9. In all last year there were five homicides in Springfield. Four of this year's victims died of multiple gunshot wounds in daylight hours, and three of these were young men – 16, 17, 23. The grim statistics do not include the senseless death of Sonya Massey, who was killed by a sheriff's deputy outside of Springfield, and whose case deserves our focus now. But these other killings are also "senseless" in their own way. They deserve our attention and a renewed dedication to prevention. – Fletcher Farrar, editor
Editor's note 8/15/24
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