With more than 20 homicides in Louisville, May ends as one of the deadliest months in recent years

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- This May will go down as one of the deadliest months in recent years in Louisville, with more than 20 people killed.

Many of those cases add to a list of unsolved homicides in the city as families are left with questions as they grieve. With violence and deadly gunfire so prevalent, two Louisville mothers are remembering different times.

"We hope these kids, we don't even know them, get to live to see 25," Francie Nellom said.

Nellom and Cheryl Davis, two mothers, enjoyed their Friday afternoon at Shawnee Park. But even their sanctuary can't draw out the "what if's" of reality.

"You don't know if bullets just could come flying through here," said Davis.

Headlines all throughout the month of May described just a few of the 22 homicides tracked in Jefferson County.

"People just losing their life, I don't know. But I just wish it stops," Nellom said.

All of those victims men, women, teens who lost their lives. Five of the 22 homicides happened in just one day during Mother's Day weekend — May 11.

"Depending who it is, see their momma, a momma don't get to see their kid graduate or somebody's dad even got killed. It's just sad, I just feel..." Nellom said.

The feeling of loss is something Nellom can relate to.

"My nephew died to gun violence," she said. "We was devastated, so I know how families feel when they lose somebody."

While these two moms said they don't have the perfect fix to end the city's violence, they feel home can be a start.

"I love my children. I love my children so much, I'd turn them in," said Davis.

They also said the court system needs to hold people responsible.

"I understand they believe giving people second chances, trying to get their life and stuff together, and starting them in this, that direction, these kids need to be held accountable. I don't care how old they are," Davis added.

Meanwhile, the two women born and raised in Louisville hope it can one day return to what they remember as kids.

"People stuck together," said Nellom. "And I think that's part of the problem, too. Nobody sticks together. You barely heard of someone fighting. You all knew each other."

Friday night, a man was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after being shot on South 18th Street in the city's Russell neighborhood. Another man showed up at University Hospital Friday night with non-life threatening injuries from a shooting. Louisville Metro Police said the shooting happened in the 1300 block of South First Street.

If you have information in any shooting case, you're urged to call LMPD's anonymous Crime Tip Line at (502) 574-LMPD (673). Tips can also be submitted anonymously online through the department's Crime Tip Portal by clicking here.

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