Melbourne police are stepping up patrols to clamp down on gun violence and gang involvement in crime

For two years, the streets of Melbourne and Palm Bay have been quietly tense, between drive-by shootings, rumors of street gangs and a dozen murders involving young black men, many in their teens.

Now, just over a month after a popular video blogger was shot dead in an armed robbery and another man was fatally injured in a park where children and families had gathered, Melbourne police are trying stop the violence through what they call a violence prevention initiative.

The agency’s Special Investigations Unit, along with patrol officers, made seven arrests between Sept. 10 and 21, including three in connection with the Sept. 10 death of 27-year-old Craig Dewberry at the Tip Top Mini Mart on Monroe Street.

“The safety of our streets is of paramount importance,” said Melbourne Mayor Paul Alfrey, a former police officer who patrolled these areas.

“We will ensure our streets are safe and remain proactive against any group or gang that causes disruption in our neighborhoods.”

Since December 2022, police in both cities have conducted eight reported killings involving Black men, from a double homicide at the Compound in Palm Bay to drive-by shootings, a shooting in a crowded park and deadly retaliation. The youngest victim, killed in what police believe was a robbery at the Compound, was 14.

Following the death of Dewberry in September, whose shooting later drew large crowds to a memorial near the murder scene, police have stepped up patrols in the south Melbourne area.

Despite heavy patrols, another shooting took place at a memorial for Dewberry on September 21 Eddie Lee Taylor, Sr. Community complex. One man was left dead and another seriously injured as children and families scrambled to safety, reports show.

Officers also identified individuals linked to previous collisions and others identified as part of the Purple baby ganga group named in court and police records and linked to a number of street shootings over the years.

Officers also seized two weapons, including a Kalashnikov pistol. Seven arrests were made, including three men wanted in connection with Dewberry’s murder and the gunfight that followed. Last week there was a man with connections to the Purple Baby Gang was arrested on a weapons charge.

Residents are calling on the police to do more

Residents living in the area have increasingly called on police to take a more proactive role in the fight against gun violence in the predominantly black, working-class neighborhood.

To date, police have not directly publicly addressed the impact of the gang or gun violence, something that has drawn criticism from the loved ones of some recent homicide victims.

Police have home addresses, have identified homes where gang members reside and have placed some homes under surveillance, records show.

But more needs to be done, said Yolanda Collier Cooper, grandmother of 20-year-old Tyrone Bursey, who was shot and killed in Palm Bay in May. No arrests have been made in the case.

“There could be a little more done, not just with the police but with the community as a whole,” Collier said of the ongoing street violence.

She says she doesn’t want any other mother or loved one to experience her family’s pain and suffering since losing her grandson to gun violence.

“We’re losing too many of our sons,” Collier said. ‘We need more resources to catch these people. What does it take to make our children feel protected?”

JD Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or [email protected]. Twitter: @JDGallop.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Melbourne police are tackling street violence and gangs are stepping up patrols