LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Wednesday's quadruple shooting in the Russell neighborhood marked another tragedy for the city, marking a six-day stretch with five fatal shootings in Louisville.

However, despite the recent rise in gun violence, Louisville's January homicide rate is down year over year.

Last month, Louisville saw 11 homicides. In January 2023, there were 18.

"Anytime you see numbers going down, it's a positive thing," said Anthony Gaines, who runs a local foundation and married a woman from west Louisville. "But we all know everybody's thinking that it's still early in the year."

The Gaines Foundation partners with a local tech program called Tech @ Nite to create programming called Sankofa Tech, equipping children for the workforce and keep them away from violence.

"It's a great chance for kids to start thinking about the future, and a lot of these kids just need to see what the possibilities for them can be," Gaines said.

Gaines acknowledged his work alone won't solve the problem.

"We're killing each other down here in the neighborhoods," he said Thursday. "And we're killing each other across the world. So the question is what is it do ya'll want? What are we all really focused on? And the answer, to me, would be focusing on healing ourselves as people."

Five of the 11 homicides last month happened during the day, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. In a written statement Thursday, Louisville Metro Police said the department's top priority is reducing the violent crime that "continues to plague our city."

"We continue daily to strengthen the relationship between the department and the community we serve in order to reach our common goal of making Louisville a safe city for our residents," LMPD said. "While we continue to be encouraged by downward trends, the men and women assigned to LMPD’s Homicide Unit work diligently to bring closure and justice to each victim and their families. Each homicide represents an individual who does not have a voice, and a family who has lost a loved-one. We implore anyone who has any information about any case to call the anonymous Crime Tip Hotline at 502-574-LMPD (5673) or utilize the online Crime Tip portal at LMPD Crime Tip Portal."

Dr. Keith Miller, a trauma surgeon with UofL Health, said there are many people around Louisville saving strangers before they even get to the hospital with a gunshot wound. 

"This a complex problem," he said Thursday. "That's been a problem in our community for a very long time. And it's going to take commitment to sustainable solutions over time."

Miller said everyone should learn how to stop and put pressure on a bleeding wound. 

"It's sad. It's a sad commentary to say that," Miller said. "I know it sounds like something small but I can tell you — to every one of those individuals — it's huge. Because it's the difference between life and death sometimes."

Gaines remains focused on Louisville's youngest in hopes of preventing more tragic situations.

"We've got to deal with ourselves as people, have real self-evaluation with ourselves as to what type of aid, what type of negativity," Gaines said. "Are we feeding into the kids, not just what we're telling them, about how we're carrying ourselves throughout the day?" Gaines said.

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